Eternal Flame
by ChocolateSyrup
Summary: When Po falls deathly ill with a mysterious sickness, there may not be a cure that could help him recover. Takes place after KFP3.
1. Chapter 1

_Hey, everyone! Welcome to my first KFP fic :D It takes place after the third movie, so there WILL be spoilers! This is also just my third multi-chapter story, so I'm still getting used to writing anything longer than a one shot, which is what I usually do. But I'll try my best to get out frequent updates!_ _I have lots planned and I hope you enjoy :)_

* * *

Po couldn't believe it. After all these years of simply dreaming about becoming a Kung Fu master, that dream was finally a reality.

Weird; it felt like only yesterday when he'd first climbed up the dreaded stairs of the Jade Palace and lit up the fireworks that sent him over the stone walls, and then named the legendary Dragon Warrior.

Now he was a teacher, teaching anyone who wanted to know the art of Kung Fu. He couldn't believe _that_ either, remembering how freaked out he'd been when Shifu first wanted him to start teaching.

But life was good. He had his friends and family who were always there for him no matter what, who had saved him from his ultimate demise in the Spirit Realm. It was then he realized that, in a way, they had taught _themselves_ how to use the power of their Chi; he had simply taught them to always be yourself.

Kai was defeated and everything was back to normal. But if any more supernatural villains or regular bandits came along that Po was already used to fighting in the Valley of Peace, he and the Furious Five—along with new Panda Warriors—would be ready.

Yeah, life was good.

* * *

Birds were chirping underneath a bright blue sky, the sound of waterfalls flowing smoothly through beautiful greenery. Laughter rang throughout the village, and a certain black-and-white Dragon Warrior was running for his life away from one of the most feared villains of all: panda cubs!

The young cubs laughed with joy as they chased after Po throughout the village, knocking over other panda residents who unfortunately got in their way.

"Sorry!" Po called to them, cringing as an older panda fell over onto her side. Running out of breath, he stopped in a small clearing, bending over to try and get his breath back. Panting, he braced himself for the inevitable as the panda cubs tackled him to the ground, pinning him in place so that he had no chance of escaping their wrath.

"Oh no, the Dragon Warrior is down!" Po cried, gently swatting at the kids with his arms. "I can't take it! There's too many of them!"

Squealing with delight, the cubs screeched as they tickled him to death. Po couldn't help it; he burst out laughing, trying to escape their powerful clutches but to no avail. "Aw come on, pick on someone your own size!" Grinning, Po allowed his head to hit the grass underneath him. He closed his eyes, opening his mouth so that his tongue flopped out in a dramatic manner.

"Po?" One of the panda cubs, Bao, asked cautiously, climbing up on Po's stomach to get a better look at his face. "You're not dead."

Unable to carry out his prank any longer when little Lei Lei let out a small and worried cry, he peeked open one eye. "Nope!"

The kids screeched once more, leaping off of Po's stomach one by one and rolling onto the grass beside him so that he could stand up.

"Can you show us again?" Bao asked excitedly.

"Show you what?" Po asked, though he already knew what the little panda was talking about—it was a certain kind of power that he'd recently mastered, a power that glowed and had the ability to bring a withered flower back to life.

"You know!"

"Yeah, show us again!"

"I've shown you a million times and you're still not bored of it yet?" While the cubs knew how to practice Chi, their power was very limited when it was actually put to use. Sure, they had managed to pull it off after he'd used the Wuxi Finger Hold, but that was when everyone had used it _together._ They still had a lot more to learn, and now that Po had gotten over his fear of teaching, he was always more than happy to help the kids out.

"No way!" Bao exclaimed.

"Awesome!" Po grinned, getting himself ready. He looked left and right, searching for the perfect target to practice his Chi. A lifeless flower came into view. _Perfect,_ he thought.

"Okay, okay. Here we go."

Po concentrated, focusing his gaze on the flower. He relaxed and raised a paw, closing his eyes.

It usually only took a few seconds for his power to start working, but he hadn't even realized that a few minutes had passed before Bao's voice broke his concentration.

"What's the matter?"

Po opened his eyes, only to see that his Chi's power hadn't kicked in yet. The flower hadn't budged, but that wasn't right! It might not have worked on the first night he tried before Tigress had come to the village, but his Chi was supposed to make it bloom. What was going on?

"Uhh, nothing," Po replied with a nervous grin. He hoped it was nothing, at least.

Turning his gaze back to the flower, he closed his eyes again and lifted his paw.

Relief swept through his body when a loud chorus of "ooh's" and "ahh's" met his ears as a golden glow appeared and wrapped around the flower, causing it to stand upright.

"Stripey baby," Lei Lei suddenly babbled. Po opened his eyes once more to see Tigress approaching the group.

"Master Shifu needs to speak with you," Tigress said, trying to hide a smile when Lei Lei waddled over to her, holding the Tigress figure that Po had given to her when he'd first arrived at the village.

"Am I in trouble?" Po asked, trying not to laugh at her obvious resistance to Lei Lei.

"Perhaps," Tigress answered plainly with a smirk. Her eyes landed on the flower that he had brought back to life. Her smirk turned into a small smile.

Po glanced up to where he knew his master was currently meditating, sitting on top of one of the village waterfalls.

* * *

"I'm here, Master Shifu," Po said, panting as he finally made it to the top of the waterfall. his master meditating. Shifu didn't respond.

"Uhh...Shifu?" Po asked, slowly walking towards him. "Tigress said you wanted to talk to me."

"We need to go back to the Valley of Peace," Shifu finally answered as he continued to meditate.

"The Valley of Peace?" Po questioned, surprised. How could he have forgotten about his home?! He'd been so wrapped up in the Panda Village...

Shifu smiled, finishing his relaxation and standing up from his sitting position to face Po. "The Jade Palace needs to be fixed, as well as whatever else Kai damaged during his 'visit.'"

"Oh yeah," Po said, regret flowing through him as he remembered how he'd left the palace unattended. He had been so mad at his father when Li told him the truth about not knowing Chi, but thankfully, all was forgiven and now he had two of the best dads in the world.

"We're leaving in two days," Shifu said, breaking Po out of his thoughts. "We all need to get our strength back, and I myself want to explore before leaving."

Shifu's words finally met Po's ears. Wait... _leaving?_ He just got here! He couldn't leave now! Why hadn't Shifu told him about this before?! He knew that his master and the Furious Five would eventually leave, but not so soon after defeating Kai.

"I know you've just found your family and your home," Shifu said calmly, "and if I was in your place, I'd probably want to stay a little longer, too. Which is why I am giving you a choice."

"A choice?" Po asked cautiously.

"The choice to stay here in the village...or go back to the Valley of Peace."

What? He could stay here in the village or go back home? But the Panda Village _was_ his home. Then again, _both_ places were his home, weren't they? There was his master again, playing mind tricks on him just like he had when he had asked "Who are you?" even though he knew that he was the Dragon Warrior.

Shifu smirked at the Dragon Warrior's internal struggle. "I'm not asking you to choose sides."

"Yeah, but...the Jade Palace is my home! _This_ village is my home! The Valley of Peace needs me, but..." Po looked out over the waterfall's edge, taking in the beautiful view that met his gaze, as well as the pandas enjoying what life had to offer. "These guys need me, too," he whispered.

He still had so much more to teach them.

"You are free to go back whenever you wish," Shifu offered, taking his staff in hand and heading down the waterfall's pathway. "Think about it."

But Po was already thinking, and he was having a lot of trouble deciding.


	2. Chapter 2

_Thank you so much for all the reviews/follows/faves last chapter! Here's another one for you guys :)_

* * *

Po hadn't thought he'd ever feel so torn in his life.

"Should I stay...or should I go?" he mumbled to himself as he paced back and forth in a secluded, grassy area of the village that was a little more private than the rest of the village.

And what about his dad...the one who owned a restaurant? He would have to leave with Shifu and the Five, too—to take care of said restaurant—and Po didn't know if he could handle that.

Po almost wished that Shifu hadn't given him a choice at all.

Of course, he knew that staying in the Panda Village wouldn't be permanent. He would just stay a little longer, teach a few classes, and then go back home. But was it really that simple? And what about his other dad? His 'real' dad? They just found each other! Could he really leave that soon after finding a family he thought was dead? Li would have to stay to take care of the other pandas.

 _It's gonna take a lot more than the end of the world to keep us apart,_ he'd said to Po.

 _Well, you were wrong,_ Po thought sadly. He never imagined that having two families would be so difficult.

"What do _you_ think I should do?" Po asked his grumbling stomach. Normally when he was upset, he would have made himself feel better by stuffing his face with food, just like he had when he'd stolen Monkey's cookies before Shifu began training him.

Po sighed, a wave of nostalgia overcoming him. He would never forget that day when his master first began real Kung Fu training with him.

Now he had better control over his actions...most of the time.

Sighing again, Po stopped his pacing and turned his gaze towards a night sky filled with flickering stars. If he left one place, he could always go back to the other. But why couldn't he just stay in _one_ to make things less complicated? This entire thing was giving him a headache.

"I don't know what to do," he murmured, plopping himself onto the cool grass.

"Who are you talking to?" a voice suddenly asked, interrupting his thoughts. Po turned around to face Tigress.

"Ehh...no one in particular," the panda answered, trying to get out of the fact that he had been talking to his belly.

One of her ears twitched. She could tell he was lying; he'd always been a terrible liar, especially back at Gongmen City when he'd tried to hide his past with Lord Shen from her.

"What is it?" she asked softly, moving to sit beside him on the grass. She looked him over, studying his face and trying to figure out what had him so upset.

Po sighed again for the third time.

"...Shifu wants me to decide whether I should stay here or go with you guys."

"And...what do you want to do?" Tigress questioned, waiting patiently for an answer. She didn't know what to think about it all either, feeling just as conflicted as the Dragon Warrior. One thing was for sure, things would definitely be a lot less...interesting and more quiet if there was no Po at the Jade Palace.

"I have no idea," Po answered, "I mean, I want to go back to the Valley of Peace, but...I also want to stay here. If I go with you, I'd be wondering how these guys are doing all the time. If I stay here, then I'd be wondering how _you're_ doing all the time...what do you think I should do?"

Tigress gave him a gentle smile that she hoped would comfort the panda in some way. "I can't tell you what to do, Po. Just follow whatever you feel is right. And I'll be behind you no matter what your decision is."

Po smiled back at her, somewhat relieved that she would support him with whatever decision he chose to make. "Thanks, Tigress."

The Furious Five member nodded, turning her gaze to look up at the night sky.

"I never got a chance to tell you before now, but..."

"Yeah?" Po asked curiously.

"It's really beautiful here," Tigress managed to get out. "And peaceful."

Po gave her his own gentle smile, turning back to the dark sky himself. "Yeah...it is." Another reason that he wanted to stay. Not that the Valley of Peace wasn't just as beautiful or peaceful, but he had to admit it was nice to get a little peace and quiet. He decided at that point to let out a big and loud yawn.

Tigress stared, eyes wide.

"...Was something my dad taught me recently before you came here," Po explained, keeping his gaze fixed upon the night stars.

"The goose?" Tigress questioned, wondering how such a tiny bird could make such a big yawn.

"Nah...the panda." Po's smile widened and a mischievous spark in his eyes suddenly made itself known.

"Wanna try?"

"What?"

"Come on, it's really easy."

"Po, I can't—"

"Just once and you don't have to do it ever again! Follow my lead." Po sucked in a big gulp of air.

Tigress followed suit, though very reluctant.

Po then let out the air nice and slowly (and noisy) and Tigress did the same.

"That actually felt...nice," she admitted, though she couldn't believe she had done something so...un-Tigress-like.

Po grinned, ecstatic that he'd gotten her to try something new and completely out of her comfort zone, something that she had surprisingly enjoyed. "See?"

How could he ever let her go if he chose to stay? If only there was a way to bring _both_ the Jade Palace and the Panda Village together...

 _Wait._

It was then that a totally and utterly genius idea crossed his mind.


	3. Chapter 3

A certain Dragon warrior hadn't been able to get much sleep the night after talking with Tigress, tossing and turning in his bed (practically until dawn.) He knew that pandas were supposed to sleep in past noon, but he just couldn't bring himself to do so.

Not when today was the day Shifu and the Furious Five were going back to the Valley of Peace, and Po needed to give them his final answer.

Was he staying or going?

Tigress gave him a glance as they walked together with the group to the village's exit, where Po had first come in with his two dads as Li led them to the village for the first time; Po would never forget the beautiful sight that had met him. The other pandas followed close behind. She tried to read his expression, but surprisingly, Po was hiding his feelings well.

The Five and Shifu were all packed and ready to go on a long journey back, and they noticed that Po hadn't bothered to pack any of his things. It broke Po to see his friends so quiet and...distant. Were they mad at him? He didn't blame them if they were. His dad hardly said a word, which had Po the most unnerved; but he had to do this. He couldn't just leave his second family behind so soon. His other dad had his arm wrapped protectively around his long-lost son.

"I—I have to stay," Po told his master with a solemn smile. "They need me."

Shifu simply nodded in understanding, returning his smile, bowing respectfully along with the Five as Po did the same. "Good luck, Dragon Warrior."

"Stripey baby," Lei Lei cooed as she waddled up to Tigress. She couldn't help it and scooped her up, giving the little panda a small hug.

"We'll miss you, Po," Crane said sorrowfully as they began to part ways.

"I'm gonna miss you guys too," Po replied, "but it's not goodbye forever...I promise."

Crane smiled, Mantis perked as usual atop his hat. Monkey and Viper were close to tears, holding them back and forcing smiles instead.

Mr. Ping walked up to his son as if in slow motion, hardly believing that he was going to have to leave him behind.

"You know I would stay here with you if I could, but...I have a restaurant to look after! Come home soon..." was all he could manage to get out without getting too choked up; he just couldn't believe that he was leaving his son behind! Po bent down and wrapped his arms around the smaller bird.

"I'll be back before you can say noodles."

Mr. Ping let out a choked sob. "Noodles..."

"Ah, come here." Li couldn't help himself, wrapping huge arms around his son and Mr. Ping in a group hug, nearly squeezing the life out of Po. But the Dragon Warrior didn't mind at all. He didn't want the moment to end. "Don't worry. We'll take good care of him," Li reassured Mr. Ping.

"I trust you," Mr. Ping said with a smile, earning a respectful nod from Li in return. "Make sure he doesn't run out of any dumplings," he couldn't help but add. His son wouldn't go hungry while he was gone!

Tigress gently released Lei Lei back onto the ground. "Po...don't be too long," she told him sternly, taking one last look at his bright, green eyes.

Without hesitation, he brought her in for a hug. A hug like the one she'd given him in Gongmen City, and like the one after he'd survived Shen's falling cannon. The rest of the Furious Five and pandas stared on in complete shock as Tigress returned his hug with just as little hesitation.

"I won't," he whispered softly.

Walking away after his dad, Shifu and The Furious Five disappeared from the secret Panda Village was one of the hardest things Po had ever had to do in his life.

* * *

Walking away from the Panda Village was one of the hardest things Tigress had ever had to do in her life.

She was leaving the Dragon Warrior behind, leaving Po behind. The one who had changed her into who she was today. No longer a hardened warrior, but someone who now allowed her guard to be let down around the panda, to be a friend.

Now he had decided to stay in the village and even though she knew it wasn't for forever, she was still mildly surprised at his decision.

But just as she'd promised the night before, she was behind him with whatever decision he would choose to make.

Yet why did she feel so let down and disappointed? She was supposed to be supporting him!

The sight of a completely wrecked Jade Palace didn't make things any better as the group finally approached the Valley of Peace, climbing up the long and broken steps. It was still empty after they had evacuated before Kai arrived; almost like a ghost town. It left everyone feeling very unsettled.

"We have a lot of work to do," Shifu said grimly as they reached the top and his eyes landed on the damaged statue of Master Oogway, his heart throbbing at the sight.

A big gasping sound was suddenly heard, like someone else was having trouble climbing up the Jade Palace steps. "And a lot...of work...needs...a lot...of help!"

Shifu, the Five and Mr. Ping spun around in shock to see black-and-white arms reaching over the top of the stairs.

Tigress's eyes widened. "Po?"

Had he followed them back?

How on earth had he pulled it of without them even knowing? She found herself unable to hide a wide smile as it began to form. Of _course_ he would never leave them behind. But what about his family?

The Dragon Warrior gave them a little wave. "Hey, guys."

Mr. Ping instantly ran to his son, enveloping him in another hug that was just as tight as the one he'd given before Po had left.

Shifu took a glance behind Po to see a number of pandas, including Li, struggling up the steps of the Jade Palace, all out of breath and practically on their knees, minus the little bundles of energy that ran past the adults with no problem.

"...What are _they_ doing here?!"


	4. Chapter 4

"I asked you to make a decision."

"I know."

"You failed to make that decision."

"I know."

"There may not be enough room for all of them here."

"I know, I know, but come on!" Po argued lightly, trying not to be too cross with his master. But this was exactly why Po had kept his plan hidden from Shifu up until the last moment; he'd been afraid that he would say no. "Choosing between the Five and them was like trying to choose between...dumplings and noodles! But with everyone helping, we could make the Jade Palace even _bigger_ than it was before!"

"I don't know about that Po," Shifu countered sternly, "what about their village? Now that the pandas are here, it's not entirely a secret anymore."

Oh. He hadn't thought about that. The village was _supposed_ to be a secret. It wasn't like anyone knew where exactly it was located, but now that the pandas were out of the bag, the Valley was going to start asking questions, and it was going to be newly opened up to any bandits who would possibly take an interest.

But Po was firm with his decision to bring his family and his (panda) dad had agreed, seeing that he'd been in on the plan, too. Tigress had told him to do what he felt was right, and he had. They would be safe here with him and the Five and have so much to explore after being hidden away for so long!

"Just...think about it? Please?" he asked with a hopeful smile.

Shifu sighed in defeat at the puppy-dog eyes that the Dragon Warrior was giving him.

"...I guess it _would_ be cruel to make them go all the way back when they just got here."

"Yes!" Po cheered, fist bumping the air.

"I didn't say yes."

Po's face fell.

"...But I _will_ think about it," Shifu said with a small grin. Po grinned back.

* * *

The Jade Palace was almost complete, and it was (finally) starting to look back to normal, back to its former glory.

Upon first glance at the damaged palace when he'd first arrived, Po had been heartbroken to see everything destroyed and so banged up; Kai had really done a number on the place, especially the statue of Master Oogway. It had been one of the first things that Shifu wanted to be repaired. Po was just glad that his master and friends were back to normal too, having been turned into frightening, green 'Jombies' as he and Monkey had named them. He didn't want to know what Tigress had to endure when she'd witnessed their descent.

It was good to be back home though, and Po was glad that Shifu had decided to give the pandas a chance to stay, especially since they had been such a big help with repairs. If all went well, their stay even had a high chance of becoming permanent, and the village becoming more like a vacation home. How awesome would that be?! The best of both worlds finally coming together.

Now it was just the Hall of Heroes that needed to be finished up, and Po couldn't wait for it to be completely restored. He'd taken all of the pandas on a tour of the newly renovated Jade Palace, but they had become worn out pretty quickly, especially since the long travel back. Soon it was just him and a single, excited panda cub in the hall while the others took a well-deserved rest before dinner at his father's refurbished restaurant, which had also taken a beating thanks to Kai.

The only downside was the fact that nearly all of the sacred artifacts were damaged beyond repair.

"Some things just can't be replaced," Po explained sadly as he watched Bao hold the broken object gently in his paws, what used to be the Urn of Whispering Warriors (leaving out the fact that Li and himself had taken a part in their destruction; Kai had only made the damage even more irreversible.)

But Bao had a determined look on his face, as if he wanted to prove the Dragon Warrior wrong somehow. Po was definitely surprised when the little cub closed his eyes and began concentrating on the object. A golden glow suddenly emerged from his outstretched paw, and Po's mouth hung open in complete shock when the vase began...putting itself back together?!

"Woah..." Po breathed, watching his student with pride when the urn's broken glass pieced itself back together until it was all fixed, as if it had never been broken in the first place. "That was severely cool!" All the times he'd shown the cubs his own power of Chi must have paid off, but he never imagined that it could do something like _that._

Bao's face brightened, handing the urn to Po so that the Dragon Warrior could put it back where it belonged.

Po stared down at his paws in disbelief. "I had no idea that Chi could fix inanimate objects." Could have been useful to know _before_ they started rebuilding the Jade Palace. But then again, Chi was still very new to all of them, so how _could_ they have known?

"Why don't you try it, Po?!" Bao exclaimed, excited that he'd discovered something new before anyone else had.

The Dragon Warrior nodded enthusiastically, moving over to his artifact of choice: Master Flying Rhino's Armor that was currently lying in a broken heap on the hall ground. Just like all the times before when he'd shown the panda cubs at the village, he relaxed and closed his eyes. He reached out a paw over Master Rhino's armor, imagining the pieces going back together. But it was harder to concentrate than before. He felt...funny and slow.

"Po? Are you okay?" Bao asked worriedly as he watched the panda begin to lose his breath and struggle to stay standing. Why did he look so dizzy?

"I'm...fine," Po managed to get out. Reaching his arm forward, he tried to relax again as he focused on the object. A glow managed to emerge from his outstretched paw, but considering how many times Bao had seen Po's Chi before and knew what it was supposed to look like...it looked...stranger than normal. Dull and not as bright.

Bao knew that he had to run and get help when Po finally fainted to the floor next to the damaged armor.

Back in the empty Panda Village, a single petal fell from the flower that the Dragon Warrior had brought back to life. The ground shook with an incredible, earthquake-like force soon after.


	5. Chapter 5

Shifu didn't know what it was, but something had begun to nag him at the back of his mind. He was sure that it wasn't because of the pandas that were now (still unofficially) residing at the Jade Palace. It was something else, and something big. Something that he couldn't quite explain, especially since it had come on so suddenly and unexpected; even strong enough to give him a minor headache.

"What are you trying to tell me?" he murmured, glancing up at the fixed statue of Master Oogway as he began to relax into a meditative state. Thanks to Po and his experience in the Spirit Realm, he knew now that the old tortoise was the one behind "Universe Messages," the one who had told Li that his son was still alive. The one who had told him that something terrible had happened to Po in Gongmen City before the panda had nearly gotten blown to bits by Shen's cannon, letting him know that he _had_ to go and help the Dragon Warrior and the Five defeat that deranged peacock. But the thing that had Shifu so confused and even a bit saddened was...

If he had the ability to return to the mortal realm like Po...why didn't he?

The panda had explained that Oogway told him he'd simply never tried it. Shifu wouldn't put it past his master to respond in such a way, but it still...hurt. It would certainly make communicating a bit easier for the turtle to return, but Shifu guessed that was exactly the reason why he stayed behind: not to make things difficult (well, maybe that too) but so his students could figure things out in their own time and way.

His thoughts were interrupted by a voice screaming from nearby, up at the Jade Palace steps. Glancing over the statue, Shifu could see Bao running towards him in what looked like a big rush.

"Help! Help!" the panda cub yelled, his little voice urgent.

"What's wrong?" Shifu asked, staring down at the cub in confusion. What could have happened to make him so anxious?

"It's Po! He fell over and wouldn't get up!" Bao cried.

Shifu's eyes widened and he looked back towards the Oogway statue. Maybe _this_ was the reason for his headache. "Where?"

"The Hall of Heroes!"

* * *

"Will he be okay, Master?" Tigress asked Shifu as she knelt beside Po, Bao wrapped gently in her arms as an attempt to help calm the cub.

"He's still breathing," Shifu responded as he checked over the fainted Dragon Warrior; Po still hadn't woken up from the spot where he'd fallen. "His vitals seem normal. It looks like he just passed out."

But passing out was definitely a cause for concern. Po's expression looked strained, his eyes closed as if he was in pain.

"It's all my fault!" Bao cried, his face turned away from Po and hiding in Tigress's shoulder.

"What?" Tigress asked, shocked that the cub would even think of blaming himself for something that he had nothing to do with.

"I—I told him to use his Chi," Bao sobbed, unable to form his words correctly from the tears that were streaming down his face and onto her fur. Tigress attempted to comfort the cub by bringing him in closer to her for a small hug, but he resisted.

"What do you mean, Bao?" she asked in confusion. What did Chi have to do with any of this?

"I tried using my Chi to fix that broken vase," he explained, nodding towards the Urn of Whispering Warriors. Shifu and Tigress followed his gaze and their eyes widened at the sight, that the vase was completely back to normal and not shattered into thousands of pieces.

Sure, Shifu had brought a flower or two back to life, but he'd never thought of the other possibilities that came with having such a power.

"—so then I told him to try using his, and then it looked all weird and he..."

"None of this is your fault, Bao," Tigress told the cub in a firm, yet gentle tone. He allowed her to lift him up so that they could face each other, wet still dripping down his fluffy cheeks. "I know for a fact that Po wouldn't blame you for any of this."

Bao sniffled. "Really?"

Tigress nodded. "It's a good thing you ran to get help when you did."

Bao managed a small smile through his tears, hugging Tigress closer. She didn't resist, _wouldn't_ resist a little panda cub in distress.

"So he was using his Chi when he dropped," Tigress said, trying to come up with an explanation. Maybe this new power had something to do with it. "Do you think he used too much at once?"

"We don't know exactly how our Chi works yet," Shifu mused thoughtfully while keeping his eyes trained on the panda. He still hadn't budged. "It's a brand new ability for all of us..." They still had a lot to learn, and Shifu had no idea if their Chi had any kind of limits—or even a maximum of how much they were able to use at a time; he realized then that it was something they should probably start to look into, especially to prevent this kind of thing from happening again.

A noise suddenly interrupted the two, a noise like someone was trying to get his breath back.

"Po!" Shifu and Tigress exclaimed when the Dragon Warrior gasped and opened his eyes.

"Uggh..." he groaned, looking up at Shifu with weary green eyes. "What happened?"

"You fainted," Tigress explained, relief sweeping through her now that Po was finally awake. Bao climbed out of her arms to sit next to the Dragon Warrior, ready to help him stand.

"I did? How long was I out of it?"

"Just a few minutes. How are you feeling?"

Po tired to move and get up, but instantly stopped when a shooting pain ran down his arm. Tigress noticed his cringe.

"A little sore, but I think I'm okay..." he answered honestly, stopping to give Bao a small and reassuring pat on the head. The smaller panda let out another sniffle. "I'm okay, Bao! Look!"

He gave himself a little flick. The panda let out a choked sob and bounded into Po's lap, wrapping his arms around the Dragon Warrior in a gentle hug, relieved that he appeared to be okay. Po gladly returned it, ruffling the top of the cub's head once more and knowing that he wasn't going to be able to 'play dead' around Bao and the cubs again anytime soon, if at all.

"Bao said you were using Chi when this happened," Shifu told him in an attempt to jog his memory.

"Oh, yeah...but I've used Chi lots of times before. He just found out that we can use it to fix stuff that's been broken! How cool is that?!"

"I think that's the problem."

"Fixing things?" Po questioned. How could fixing stuff be a bad thing?

Shifu shook his head. "Using too much Chi."

"Ohhh." That made sense. But he hadn't used _that_ much, had he? He only wanted to fix Master Flying Rhino's broken armor. But then he remembered all the times he'd shown the kids their newfound ability. Had all that led up to what happened today? He doubted that small, simple things such as flowers were too much for him to handle. Heck, he'd even taken on Kai—Master of Pain, Beast of Vengeance, Maker of Widows! He was totally fine after that, why would now be any different?

"Maybe you shouldn't be using your Chi for awhile, Po," Tigress suggested, watching as the Dragon Warrior let Bao down so they could start heading back outside the palace.

He was finally on two feet. Albeit unsteady, but on two feet. He was already feeling better for having just fainted to the floor. Maybe Chi had nothing to do with what happened at all; it was probably just because of an empty stomach.

"I'm fine, really," he told Shifu and Tigress with a smile, softly rubbing his belly. "I'm just a little hungry, that's all. I haven't really eaten anything today 'cause of the tour and everything..."

Shifu eyed the Dragon Warrior and Bao warily as they left the Hall of Heroes. He himself still had a headache. It wasn't as strong as before, but it was still there—including the nagging feeling in the back of his mind. He was sure that Oogway was trying to tell him something, and something important...and he doubted that it was Po's empty stomach.


	6. Chapter 6

_Thanks again for all of your reviews/feedback! It makes me happy to know that everyone's enjoying this so far (I think xD)_

* * *

Great.

He had a brand new and awesome power, and Shifu wasn't allowing him to use it—not even for his classes that had finally started in the Jade Palace. The red panda simply said that he wanted to look more into the history of Chi, not explaining anything further. Po wondered why exactly, when he'd already told his master that Chi (most likely) had nothing to do with when he'd fainted at all. He'd even felt entirely normal after the whole incident, not feeling in the slightest bit that he was coming down with something like a cold.

And even if he _was,_ a cold would be a cinch to get over compared to how many other things he had been through over the years.

But Shifu had also banned anyone else from using their Chi until they knew for sure how to use it safely and not overwork themselves, especially since their new discovery that Chi was capable of fixing broken objects. Who knew what else it could do besides fixing and healing like Po and the Five had read in the scrolls? The pandas all agreed, even the cubs; Bao wasn't about to use his Chi again anytime soon, not after what he'd witnessed in the Hall of Heroes.

Po felt really bad—to make it up to the frightened cub, he spent a little of his spare time teaching Bao the basics of Kung Fu. The little guy was a quick learner and it helped to get his mind off of what happened to Po.

The Dragon Warrior stared down at his bowl of noodles, listening absentmindedly to Li and Mr. Ping in the background of the noodle shop. It was great that the two of them were finally getting along (most of the time) and Po couldn't be happier. Mr. Ping was even teaching Li how to cook!

Po had decided not to tell them about his fainting spell afterwards so they wouldn't worry, but with the new 'No-Chi' rule, he hadn't been able to come up with any other explanation as to why Shifu decided to ban Chi. They'd been worried sick, as Po had suspected they would be, and that only made him feel worse.

But it was just for the time being until they had a better idea of how to handle things. Po couldn't wait until he was given the okay for everyone to use their Chi again so that he could help them learn how to use it. Crane, Mantis, Viper and Monkey especially since they hadn't really gotten the chance to use theirs after being turned into Jombies. The panda was surprised at how little action was going on the Valley bandit-wise lately; but he figured that it was just because the Jade Palace had recently been restored, and word had spread that it would be cowardly for anyone to attack such a vulnerable place that had just gotten back on its feet.

"Hey, son," Li said as he finished up washing dishes with Mr. Ping and breaking Po out of his thoughts. He wrapped an arm around Po's shoulder. The Dragon Warrior instantly knew that his dad was up to something. "Which noodles do you think are better?" he asked in a whisper. Mr. Ping frowned, obviously still within earshot.

"What?" Po questioned, staring at his dads with curiosity.

"I haven't given you the secret ingredient yet," Mr. Ping said with a smirk, wings crossed. "I think he knows which noodles are better."

"Um...I love both you and your noodles equally," Po pointed out. Li _was_ getting better at it; his first few tries had been something else altogether. But they weren't listening. He wondered what Li would think when he found out that Mr. Ping's secret ingredient was actually nothing.

Shaking his head at their ongoing argument, Po went to clean his bowl and head towards his room for the night, but not before turning back to the goose and panda. "Goodnight!" he called. When he didn't get a reply from either, Po decided to just go to bed.

* * *

It was wonderful to be back in his room. His own room that had been entirely his and his alone for most of his life, before he'd even gone to the Jade Palace that fateful day. What with visiting the Panda Village, traveling back to the palace and then fixing said palace, he hadn't really gotten a chance to visit except when he'd been helping his dad rebuild the restaurant. If seeing the palace so torn up broke the Dragon Warrior's heart, it was seeing his home completely destroyed.

He looked over at Master Oogway's staff that he'd placed by his bed, the only place that Po felt was safe enough for something so fragile. He picked it up with care, running his paws gently over its frame. He still couldn't believe that he'd been able to talk with Master Oogway himself! He wondered if the staff was able to break, or if it was totally indestructible, especially having come from the Spirit Realm. Only one way to find out...

Po bent it ever so gently, and when it didn't break like he suspected, he wondered just how far he would be able to go.

The staff snapped in half.

 _Oh, no._

He was such an idiot! Why had he even thought that this was a good idea?! The staff was just too fragile and special; of _course_ it wasn't indestructible.

But another idea was already creeping its way into his mind, just like when he'd first thought to bring his family to the Jade Palace. It was a stupid idea that was going to get him into huge trouble if anyone saw him doing it, especially Shifu...but Shifu wasn't here. No one was except for his arguing dads downstairs.

Po stared down at the broken staff, then down at his paws.

He knew it was probably a bad idea. What if something happened again?

But this was Oogway's staff!

Heart pounding, he set the staff gently onto his bedroom floor.

He closed his eyes and relaxed, reaching his paw out. He concentrated on the staff, imagining the broken pieces flying back together.

Nothing happened.

He concentrated harder, stretching his paw out a little more. But still, nothing happened. Opening his eyes, Po stared in confusion at the fact that his paw wasn't glowing.

He wasn't going to get in trouble for using his Chi even if anyone _had_ caught him using it, because it wasn't even working.

 _His Chi wasn't working._

Before he could even question _why,_ a pain seared through his paws, a sharp and burning pain. He collapsed in a heap next to the broken staff, just like he had when he'd fallen next to Master Flying Rhino's broken armor.

No one noticed a bright, golden light that flashed across the sky outside.


	7. Chapter 7

He couldn't move.

He felt cold and hot at the same time.

Why couldn't he move?

Why hadn't his Chi worked on Oogway's staff? What was going on?

He guessed that Shifu was right, that Chi _did_ have to do something with his fainting spell. And now he'd fainted again.

 _What's wrong with me?_

Questions swirled around and around in Po's fevered mind, and he was surprised that he was able to think at all in his current state. But he was unable to come up with any answers, and he was simply too tired and worn out to care at the moment.

* * *

"Woah! What was that?" Mantis asked in surprise when he saw a flash of bright, gold light shoot across the night sky. He sat atop Crane's hat, eyes wide at the sight. The two had gone out of the palace to get some fresh air, and so Crane could stretch his wings after helping with some extra tune-ups.

Crane stopped in midair and had to shield his eyes with a wing just from how bright the light had been. But it hadn't lasted long, disappearing just as suddenly as it had come.

"Do you think anyone else saw it?" Crane wondered, gazing down below at the empty palace grounds.

"Pretty much everyone's asleep by now...we're the only ones out here."

Crane nodded, causing Mantis to shift a little in his spot. The two stayed quiet, listening for any kind of nearby sounds. But nothing was heard except for the soft flapping of Crane's wings.

"It was really shiny, like Chi or something...we should check it out!" Mantis pressed. Master Shifu had banned Chi—no one was supposed to be using it, much to Crane and Mantis's disappointment, since they hadn't had a chance to use theirs yet.

"I don't know, Mantis. Last time we 'checked out' a glowing light, we got turned into Jombies." Crane shuddered at the memory. Though he couldn't remember much, he knew that he'd done terrible things as one of those monsters...like fighting his best friends. They didn't blame him, of course, but the thought of having no control over his actions was scary. He still remembered being trapped in the abandoned ship, and then nothing as Kai stole his Chi. It was something he never wanted to experience ever again, but now that Kai was gone, they didn't really have to worry about anything like that.

"Psh, that light was _green._ This light was _golden._ Plus there hasn't been any action at all lately. Don't you miss getting out there?"

Crane sighed. Mantis had a point. No one had been attacking the Jade Palace lately; it had been (surprisingly) pretty quiet. It was nice that their usual troublemakers were allowing the palace to have some breathing room after completing repairs, but the Furious Five were always ready and itching for whatever came next. Not that they _wanted_ any trouble...it was just kind of boring, if he was being honest.

"Looks like it came from that direction," Crane gave in, pointing a wing towards the statue of Master Oogway.

They exchanged glances with one another.

"I don't think this is a good idea," he told the smaller warrior with worry as he began to fly down towards the statue. It was still very quiet, with not a sound to be heard. Crane landed in front of Master Oogway, keeping an eye out for anything unusual. But nothing was making itself known to the two Furious Five members.

Then without warning, Mantis let out a sharp cry of pain.

"Mantis! What's wrong, buddy?" Crane asked in shock, lifting up his wings so that he could take hold of his friend. But before he could gently wrap his arms around Mantis, a shadow was seen moving out of the corner of his eye. He spun around, one arm raised and ready to fight.

But what he saw next nearly made his heart stop, a heart that was already pounding its way out of his chest.

A dark, menacing figure slowly crept towards the now scared-out-his-mind bird. Mantis's cries of pain had quieted, and Crane couldn't feel any sign of movement on top of his hat.

 _Please be okay, please be okay,_ his mind reeled.

Crane's eyes grew to be ten times their normal size as he could finally make out who the dark figure was. "K—Kai!"

He was back.

 _Kai was back._

But how? He was destroyed in the Spirit Realm! Crane's mind continued to race, and at that point, he had no idea what to do, his wing still upwards in a fighting stance. Should he try using his Chi? But Chi was banned! He didn't even know how to use his yet!

The supernatural warrior slowly began to approach Crane, his steps slow and intimidating.

"Hello, little birdy," he said in a deep tone. "It's nice to see you again...and so soon, too."

 _Don't engage._

Crane backed away, ready to make a break for it. "What's that?!" he shouted for a dramatic exit, pointing in the other direction and causing Kai to follow suit.

He wasn't about to get turned into a Jombie again anytime soon if he could help it! He took to the sky quick as he possibly could, but was suddenly halted in mid-flight. His muscles cramped, painfully feeling as though they were being twisted by some kind of invisible force.

 _ **"MASTER SH**_ — _ **"**_ His beak clamped shut just as fast and only muffled noises were able to make their way through. Crane struggled, but he was dragged backwards towards the ground. He couldn't get anything to listen to him anymore no matter how much he tried to escape the invisible bonds that held him captive.

"Shh..." Kai crooned, staring down at the fallen bird. He raised a hoof, and relief almost instantly swept throughout Crane's entire body. Still unable to move or speak, it was then that he noticed something was very different about their returned enemy. For one, he had appeared to have learned a new kind of power. Was it some new type of Chi, the ability to move objects (and apparently living things) with your mind?! Kai's eyes were also no longer green, but a glowing _yellow._ He also didn't have any of those weird, green necklace-things around his belt. The pendants of Kung Fu masters' Chi. That was a good thing, right?

But then again, _nothing good_ could possibly come out of this new predicament. Especially not with Po's family, who were now (temporarily) living in the Jade Palace...his thoughts were starting to get muddled and incoherent as he watched Kai tower over him and a silent Mantis.

"Both of you seem to be in pain, so I _must_ be back in the mortal realm," Kai noted with a grin as Crane attempted one last time to get away and warn everyone that _Kai had somehow returned_ before he simply blacked out from pain and shock, his head drooping.

Kai then turned his attention to the newly rebuilt Jade Palace, and allowed a slow smile to spread across his face when he spotted the newly rebuilt statue of Master Oogway, as well.

"It's good to be back."


	8. Chapter 8

When Shifu woke the next morning, he had a sudden realization that his headache was gone. It wasn't throbbing anymore, much to his confusion. He'd been bothered by it the past few days, and it suddenly disappeared now? Maybe something had happened that he didn't know about. What exactly, he wasn't sure, but the nagging feeling was also gone; the nagging feeling that something bad was going to happen, and that he was sure was Master Oogway trying to tell him something.

Something important, and not just Po's empty stomach like the panda had told him back in the Hall of Heroes after fainting. The Dragon Warrior had been disappointed when his master ultimately decided to ban the use of Chi, at least for awhile. But it was only for everyone's safety; Shifu wondered if that was the reason his headache had vanished, and if Oogway was once again at peace in the Spirit Realm.

But the smaller panda realized that he was horribly wrong when he discovered what that 'something important' was when he heard a strangled scream coming from outside of the palace.

"Crane! Mantis!" It sounded like Viper, and his assumption was soon confirmed.

Shifu ran down the palace halls to the entrance and stopped short when he spotted the snake, along with Monkey, sitting next to what indeed looked like Crane and Mantis, but it appeared that the latter two were... _no._ They couldn't be.

He breathed a sigh of relief when it appeared that they were still alive. Alive, but badly hurt. They were lying on the floor, hardly moving.

"What happened?" Shifu questioned, looking over his injured students in shock with wide eyes. Their injuries looked very painful; Crane's wings were bent at odd angles, and neither were moving. Mantis was having difficulty breathing.

 _Was this what you were trying to tell me?_ Shifu wondered not to himself, but to his late master. _Who could have done this?_ The palace had been so quiet recently. Had they let their guard down too much with so little activity going on in the Valley? If that was the case, Shifu wasn't about to let it happen again anytime soon.

The Furious Five always had to be ready for whatever was thrown at them next, and they certainly hadn't been expecting something like this.

"I don't know! We just found them like this!" Viper said, her voice frantic. Monkey's eyes were just as wide as he watched over his fallen friends. He wanted to help them in some way, to somehow alleviate their pain, but he knew that trying to move them would only make things worse.

"We have to get help!" he told Shifu, his gaze lowering towards Crane when the bird suddenly began moving. Or attempt to move, at least. He could only manage a slight cringe as he tried lifting one of his twisted wings.

"He—he's..." Crane tried the best he could to form words, but it was very difficult with his beak broken the way it was, especially after having it be snapped shut with such force...

By Kai. But Shifu and the others didn't know that yet. He had to warn them; he _had_ to.

"What is it?" Shifu asked Crane as the bird continued to struggle getting words out. Shifu moved closer, his heart clenching at the fact that Crane could barley speak, let alone _move._ It looked like someone had performed a nerve attack on him and Mantis.

He had to do something.

An idea began forming in the back of his mind, but Shifu was hesitant. It would mean going against his recent ban on a certain, glowing power. But Crane and Mantis needed medical attention _now,_ and Shifu knew they couldn't wait. With all his research lately on Chi, he hadn't been able to find anything related to Po's fainting spell.

 _One day, we were badly ambushed. My friend carried me for days looking for help, until we came to a secret village high in the mountains._ _An ancient place of healing,_ Shifu remembered Oogway's story in the scrolls.

"Stand back," he told the others firmly, a look of resolve crossing his face as he realized what had to be done. They agreed, though reluctant to move away from their friends in need of help.

 _What am I doing?_ He could barely make a flower bloom, much less heal a broken limb. But he had to try. Crane struggled as his master placed a hand on a hurt wing.

"Hold still," Shifu said gently. But Crane resisted. The injured bird shook his head, eyes wide as he tried his best to use his beak, pointing behind the red panda.

Shifu finally got the message, the rest of the Five following suit as they spun around to see the last person that they expected.

No...it couldn't be!

Kai smiled at Shifu's shocked expression, slowly walking towards the smaller panda while the Five members stared on in complete surprise. Kai was back—but _how?!_

"Where is he?" he asked as he made his way towards the group.

Even amidst his shock, Shifu already guessed who the "he" was that Kai was talking about.

The Dragon Warrior.

Po.

Shifu hadn't seen him since he'd left to go visit the noodle shop the night before. He assumed that Po was still with his dads, so he remained silent.

"How dare you return here," he decided to say instead, sending Kai a glare that clearly meant he wasn't welcomed back with open arms. He realized then that this exact moment must have been what Master Oogway was trying to warn him about with that splitting headache of his.

"It doesn't matter, anyway," Kai said as he continued walking forward. Like Crane, Shifu also noticed that something was very different about the yak. His eyes were yellow instead of green, and he was no longer wearing the pendants of Chi; even Master Oogway's pendant was missing.

What did that mean? Had something happened to Oogway in the Spirit Realm? And what did Kai mean by 'it didn't matter' if he found Po or not?

Shifu gasped, realization hitting him full-force. Something was wrong with Po—something must have happened again!

"No!"

Kai simply chuckled, stopping in his tracks.

"What did you do to him?" Viper demanded, protectively moving back towards Crane and Mantis.

"I haven't done a thing. And _you're_ not going anywhere," the spirit warrior said, flicking a hoof to his right. Shifu followed his gesture to see Monkey attempting to run in the other direction while Kai had been distracted.

But instead of managing to get away...Monkey was yanked backwards by some kind of invisible force.

Shifu's eyes widened at the sight, unsure of what to think as Kai's hooves glowed with a color that he had become somewhat familiar with—the golden color of Chi.

"None of you are," he proclaimed as he shot the golden strands outward and around the Jade Palace.

Shifu instantly realized that he and the Five were trapped by a golden shield—including the pandas that were still inside of the palace and unaware as to what was going on—and the fact that Kai was keeping all of them here so they couldn't get to Po.

But unawares to Kai, he never noticed the last of the Furious Five who could only watch helplessly from behind her hiding spot where she had carefully listened to every word and had seen every action that had taken place, holding a frightened little Lei Lei in her arms.

She didn't know what was going on, or how Kai had returned from the Spirit Realm so soon.

But she knew that she had to get to Po.


	9. Chapter 9

"Po..."

Tigress didn't even notice that she was standing in his room for the first time as her gaze landed upon the Dragon Warrior and his still form that lay sprawled out on the floor. He was terribly still, and not even shivering if he did indeed have some sort of cold. But she had a bad feeling that it wasn't _just_ a cold.

"Asweep?" Lei Lei asked from her spot in 'Stripey Baby's' arms. It was all Tigress could do to agree with the little panda; it seemed like Po was sleeping, but she knew better. He was still breathing, much to her relief, but it wasn't like last time when he had come to right away after Bao ran to get help.

"Taking a nap," she told Lei Lei gently so as not to frighten her even further after what they had seen at the palace.

Kai had told Shifu and the Five that it didn't matter if he found Po or not, so they would be safe here—especially since he had no idea where Po was in the first place. But how did he know that something was wrong with the panda?

"I don't know what happened...we just found him like this," Li explained with worry etched into his tone as he stood beside Tigress, keeping a close eye on his son. He'd _known_ that something wasn't right when Po had fainted for the first time in the palace, as was the reason that Shifu decided to ban Chi. He should have kept a better eye on him!

Mr. Ping gestured to the floor next to Po, and Tigress was surprised to see Oogway's staff snapped in half.

"We found this next to him, too," Mr. Ping told her as he tried not to panic. But not panicking was hard when his son was sick with who knows what!

 _What happened in here, Po?_ Tigress wondered, searching his room for more possible clues that could explain what took place the night before. Kai hadn't been here, she knew that much.

"He was fine last night!" Mr. Ping sobbed. "Now he's...wait, what's she doing?"

It took Tigress a minute to realize that Lei Lei had left her arms. She scanned the room quickly to see where she might have gone, and soon found her sitting behind Po. Her paw was glowing, and she was reaching her arm out to rest it on the fainted panda.

"Lei Lei, wait!" Tigress tried calling her back, but the little cub had already placed her paw on Po's stomach with her eyes closed as she concentrated on making him wake up from his nap. It wasn't a strong kind of glow, but it was strong enough to shock Po awake. Tigress sighed in relief along with Li and Mr. Ping as Po opened his eyes, but only slightly as he came to his senses.

"...What's going on?" he asked weakly. _Now_ he felt awful, like he was about to throw up as if he and his dad had gone careening through the Hall of Heroes again, or when he'd first rolled down the hills at the Panda Village. Catching sight of Tigress, he managed a small smile, but frowned slightly when he caught wind that something wasn't right.

Tigress knew she couldn't tell him yet. He would try to get up and fight, and he was certainly in no condition to do such a thing, especially not with what she had witnessed at the palace. But Po could already tell that something was up, and she knew she couldn't keep it from him for long.

"It's Kai. He's back," she told him reluctantly.

If Po wasn't awake before, he definitely was now. Green eyes widened in shock. "What? But that's impossible! I skadoosh'd him in the Spirit Realm! Well, more like Chi-dooshed..."

Tigress shook her head in exasperation. "We don't know how, but he's back. And he has some kind of a new power that we've never seen before. But that's just it—I think he's mastered Chi again somehow, but without the 'aid' of other masters. He can do Chi without stealing it, Po."

That was new. Po cringed as he attempted moving to get up, as Tigress suspected he would. She placed her paws on his shoulders to keep him from doing so. "You're in no condition to fight."

"But what about the others?" Po couldn't just stand by while his master and friends were in danger! He had to do _something!_ "Master Shifu, Crane, Mantis, Viper, Monkey...my family?" his eyes widened in horror at the thought that they were in the hands of that monster. He never should have brought them to the Jade Palace in the first place!

"He's holding them prisoner at the palace...he just wants to keep them from getting to you."

"...Why?" Po whispered. But the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. If he really _was_ sick, as he was beginning to think that _yes,_ he _was,_ Kai would want to keep everyone from getting to him because they had played such a huge part in the Spirit Realm—Kai was holding them prisoner because he knew that together, they would be able to cure whatever sickness was sapping his Chi.

Sapping his Chi...

Events of the night before flooded his mind when he couldn't get his Chi to work. Grunting, he attempted to lift a paw. A wave of dizziness almost overtook him, but he held his ground as he concentrated on making _something_ happen to comfort himself that his Chi wasn't truly...not working. It couldn't be _gone._

"Po," Tigress warned, "I think Chi really _is_ the cause of all this."

Master Shifu's ban on Chi didn't matter—he _had_ to make sure.

His Chi hadn't been working normally ever since he had returned from the Spirit Realm after his fight with Kai.

It had stopped working altogether when he'd tried to use it on Master Oogway's staff, and it _still_ wasn't working no matter how much he concentrated and focused now, just barely managing to sit up and place his paws over the broken staff. Li and Mr. Ping stood close by, watching with heavy hearts as their son attempted to fix the staff, but to no avail. It hadn't moved an inch and remained snapped in half.

"Po...what happened in the Spirit Realm?" Tigress suddenly questioned when the thought came to her. "...During your fight with Kai?"

 _I think he's mastered Chi again somehow,_ she had told him earlier, _he can do Chi without stealing it from others, Po._

 _I skadoosh'd him in the Spirit Realm! Well, more like Chi-dooshed..._

Tired green eyes widened further in shock and horror at his sudden realization, and Tigress had to stop him from falling backwards.

 _You want my Chi so bad...then **take it.**_

Po could only think of one thing to say as heat seared his paws once more and he had to stop himself from crying out in pain as blackness threatened to pull him under again.

"...I am SUCH an idiot."


	10. Chapter 10

"...I gave him my Chi," Po finally answered.

"What?!" Mr. Ping nearly shouted. Li simply stared at his son in shock, trying to make sense of things. Po willingly give up his Chi?

"Po...why?" Tigress asked, seeming to have read Li's mind. She just couldn't understand it any more than the giant panda did. Po had finally mastered Chi! But now it had completely faded away from him and based on what Kai had said, he was...he was...

 _Don't think like that,_ a stern inner voice told her. They still didn't know all of the details. But now she knew why Kai had known that there was something wrong with Po: he had the power of the Dragon Warrior.

"He wanted my Chi really bad," Po continued in a whisper, feeling as though he was slipping away as the words left his mouth. "So I gave it to him. He couldn't handle all that power, though. On the bright side, I _did_ shoot a super awesome dragon at him." He grinned at the memory of flying through the Spirit Realm while he controlled a projection of his own Chi...his soul. He cringed at the thought that Kai now possessed such a power. Would he be able to make the dragon appear, too? Po certainly hoped not.

Tigress tilted her head to the side, wondering just what Po meant by a 'dragon.' Maybe it had something to do with being the Dragon Warrior himself. He hadn't really gotten the chance to explain what had gone on in the Spirit Realm after Kai was defeated; she would give him a chance to explain after this was all over.

Lei Lei sat next to Tigress, Po's figurine of her in hand. She babbled as she played with the toy, giggling about something that only she knew to be funny. Tigress almost wished that she could trade places with the cub and be oblivious to life's troubles.

"So that's how you defeated him," Tigress finished. Such a genius idea, yet so stupid! What had he been thinking?

Po nodded, glancing at her with a mixture of sadness, regret and pain all in one. "It wasn't the best idea, and I see that now."

He'd thought that Kai was finally destroyed after such a big Chi-overload, but it turned out that instead of defeating the spirit warrior, he had only managed to make him stronger. That definitely wasn't good. Now his friends and family were being held prisoner in their own home by a power-hungry maniac.

"Can't we...give Chi?" Mr. Ping asked as he processed what Po had told them, trying to come up with a solution for his son.

A spark of hope fluttered in Tigress's chest as the idea went through her mind, trying to think of _something_ that they could do. Just like Po didn't want to stand by while the Jade Palace was in danger, she would stay true to what she had said back in Gongmen City and wouldn't just watch her friend be killed.

Li seemed to like the idea instantly, willing at once to lend some of his Chi.

But Po's eyes widened in a panic, gesturing for his dad to stop before he could come any closer. "No, no. You guys can't sacrifice any of your Chi for me. We still don't know how it works...you could get hurt."

 _"We don't know exactly how our Chi works yet,"_ Tigress remembered Master Shifu saying in the Hall of Heroes. _"It's a brand new ability for all of us..."_ Was it even possible to give Chi, like when Oogway had been healed by the pandas? But this situation was entirely different: Po's Chi was _gone,_ his life-force torn away. He wasn't going to let them find out.

They couldn't go out of the noodle shop to get help, and they couldn't go outside the Valley of Peace risking more lives. Tigress wasn't even sure if outside medical help would be of any use in Po's situation. While Kai no longer had any of his Jombies on hand, who knew what other kind of abilities he possessed along with Po's power? She was grateful to have even gotten to Mr. Ping's in one piece without being seen, especially with Lei Lei. Po wasn't about to risk his dads. They were all forced to stay inside and hope for the best, as much as Tigress hated to admit it.

They were stuck; Kai was keeping everyone away. Tigress wondered if Chi was able to work long-distance like it had for Po in the Spirit Realm, and them in the Mortal Realm as they did their best to save him from the spirit warrior's clutches. But she had a feeling that since Po was in the Mortal Realm now, their Chi wouldn't be as effective and with Kai keeping a close eye on them, those at the palace wouldn't even be able to _attempt_ such a thing.

Continuing to babble, Lei Lei waddled to Po's side and lifted up the Tigress figurine so that he could take hold of it. Po managed a weak smile and took the figure in his hand, amazed that she was even willing to give it up, if only for awhile.

Tigress could tell that his smile was forced. He was in pain, and she knew it. He was barely able to keep himself up, resting against her hold that kept him from falling back to the ground in a heap.

He was doing his best to stay strong for them.

But without his Chi, his life-force...

He was dying.

And there was nothing they could do to stop it.


	11. Chapter 11

They had no idea what to do, and Po's health was getting progressively worse as time dragged on.

He was still awake, thank goodness, but just barely. He could no longer sit up even with the help of Tigress, and had to stay laying down on his bed.

While Lei Lei had managed to shock him awake with her Chi, Po refused to let any of them attempt to help by using theirs, too afraid of the possible consequences of using too much as Shifu had warned.

Tigress and Li stayed by his side while he slept, keeping a close eye on the Dragon Warrior and hoping—praying—that he would pull through. Mr. Ping would make his soup every once in awhile, and Po would gladly eat until he could no longer keep anything down.

All the while, Tigress couldn't help but wonder what was going on at the Jade Palace; she hated that she was stuck. She hated the thought that Master Shifu and the Five, especially the pandas, had to go through such an ordeal once again. She would never admit it out loud, but what worried her most were the cubs who were surely just as terrified.

But she assured herself that they could all handle themselves. They had taken on Kai once before and won. He was stronger this time around and most likely would not be beaten as easily, but Tigress had confidence that they would be okay. The only difference this time was the fact that there was no Dragon Warrior to take him on, and Kai possessed the Dragon Warrior's power.

He showed no signs of getting any better. Soon he could no longer even hold down his father's soup, and they had to resort to simple liquids like water just to keep him hydrated.

"We can't just sit here," Li had argued with Tigress one night as he watched his son breathe in and out in short, laborious gasps. "We have to do _something..."_

"We can't go outside and risk being seen," Tigress explained firmly as they stood together in Po's room. Mr. Ping had fallen asleep on the floor next to Po, refusing to leave his side.

Tigress tried to remain calm. But it was hard to remain calm when her friend was in so much pain. Why did this have to happen? Anger coursed through her very being as she searched for someone to blame. Kai was the most obvious, but there was also Po and his absolute stupidity when he'd accidentally given the evil entity his power. But the thought was instantly banished; she couldn't blame Po for what was happening to him, and she scolded herself for even thinking such a thing. He had done the right thing back in the Spirit Realm, and she blamed herself for not noticing the signs that something was wrong sooner, or for not keeping a closer eye on him after his first fainting spell.

Li gave up the argument when Tigress told him the simple fact that Po needed him there, but then brought up the healing power of Chi.

Tigress instantly shook her head. "He doesn't want us to." She doubted that using Chi would even work. Po's Chi was _gone_ and it was never coming back. How would using their own help in any way? Besides the risk of using too much, they wouldn't be able to fully cure him.

Li looked desperately from her to his son, then dropped his head in defeat, plopping himself onto the floor. Tigress watched solemnly, staying quietly in place for a moment before she decided to do the same, sitting next to the large panda in an attempt to be at least somewhat comforting. She knew she didn't have to do it ever again, but despite herself, she sucked in air let out a big breath, hoping that he would notice and follow her lead as Po had shown her back in the village.

"He taught you that, didn't he?" Li asked, amused as a nostalgic kind of look crossed his face, remembering teaching Po himself before Kai had arrived in their village.

Tigress nodded with a faint smile, keeping silent as the giant panda at last followed suit, letting out a yawn as big as hers and closing his eyes in the process.

"I just hope they're alright," Li said quietly in between paws covering his face. It didn't take her long to realize that he was talking about the Jade Palace 'prisoners.'

"They'll be fine. I know they will," Tigress reassured him gently. "They took Kai on once before—they can do it again," she said as a reminder not only to herself, but to the village's leader. "Master Shifu and the Five won't let anything happen to them." Of course, she knew that Crane and Mantis were out of the equation. From what she had seen, they had been badly bruised and battered by Kai himself; she hoped that they had managed to pull through. Even so, it was most likely just Shifu, Viper and Monkey who were watching out for the pandas.

Li nodded, hands sliding slowly off of his face. He glanced over at Po, expression grim.

"He was sick once as a cub long ago."

Tigress's ears twitched as Li continued to speak, remaining silent so that he could continue a story from Po's past, something that she hadn't been expecting.

"His mother panicked when his fever spiked. We were afraid he wouldn't make it, but we did everything we could and Little Lotus pulled through."

Tigress allowed a soft smile to spread. She had heard Li call him by his birth name before, especially during their first fight with the Jombies. But it was strange to hear Po being called anything other than Po, as she had known him from the time he'd been named the Dragon Warrior.

"He'll pull through again," she whispered. "I know he will."

* * *

 _Please hang on, Po,_ she pleaded silently as she took his hand in hers after Li had gone to bed along with Mr. Ping. It was terrifying to see him lying there so still when he was usually a ball of energy, just like the cubs. His breathing was slow and raspy and was painful just to listen to. She hoped that sleep lessened the pain for him, but even when asleep she could tell that he was still in pain by the way his eyes were almost forcefully shut. There was no relief.

She realized then that this was what Kai wanted, what he had meant by 'it didn't matter' if he found Po or not. Instead of simply finishing him off himself, the Master of Pain wanted the Dragon Warrior to suffer and eventually...

She couldn't finish the thought. She wasn't able to, because her hand, normally unfeeling, suddenly felt lighter than it was supposed to.

"...Po?" she asked in a tiny whisper though she knew he wasn't able to respond.

Her heart nearly stopped when she realized that something wasn't right. Even with her superior vision in the dark, she couldn't see the normal rise and fall of his chest. She squeezed his hand, but even without any feeling in her own paws, it was limp and...

Lifeless.

 _He wasn't breathing._

Her eyes widened and she squeezed his hand again, but he didn't squeeze back; he couldn't even if he wanted to. He seemed paler than normal, if that was even possible through all of his fur.

 _No!_ She wanted to scream, to _break something,_ punch an iron wood tree with her paws for another twenty years. But she couldn't wake Li and Mr. Ping.

Not yet.

It surprised her when a tiny yawn was heard and something small and fluffy made its way into her lap.

She hugged Lei Lei tightly with one arm, keeping her paw wrapped around Po's, though she wasn't sure if she was comforting the little cub or herself.

"Asweep...?" Lei Lei asked, glancing at the still form of Po and then staring up at Tigress with her big, round eyes.

"Yes...he's asleep," Tigress answered weakly, never letting go of Po's paw. She squeezed it again just to be sure.

But it was no use.

Kai had gotten what he wanted.

The Dragon Warrior was gone.

Back in the empty Panda Village, the flower that Po had brought back to life returned to its shriveled state, never to bloom and see the light of day again.


	12. Chapter 12

When Po finally opened his eyes, the last thing he expected was to see gold all around, and to be floating in midair. He couldn't think clearly at first, but when his vision cleared, he was shocked to find himself back in the Spirit Realm.

 _W—why am I here? What happened?_ he tried to think back to what he remembered last, but it was all dark and fuzzy. The only thing that came to mind was pain, and lots of it. But the pain had gone away. He could finally move again, and it didn't hurt to breathe. If he _was_ breathing, anyway.

He was back in the Spirit Realm, and he hadn't used the Wuxi Finger Hold on himself. That must mean...

"Oh, sweetie. I'm so sorry."

The first person he expected to see was Master Oogway. He would be mad for breaking his staff, wouldn't he? But then again, Master Oogway had never called him 'sweetie' before. The voice was also vaguely familiar, like he'd heard it somewhere. He'd heard Oogway's voice before, of course, but this was different, like some part of him that had nearly been forgotten but was scratching its way to the surface.

Po whirled around slowly in the air, green eyes widening when he finally saw the owner of the voice.

"...Mom?" he whispered in disbelief, blinking rapidly to make sure that the panda floating steadily before him wasn't just some kind of mirage or cruel trick being played.

She moved towards him as if in slow motion, and he soon found himself wrapping his arms around her in one of the tightest hugs he'd ever given anyone in his life.

He was crying before he knew it, and she caressed his face with the most gentle touch imaginable, her paw wiping away stray tears. She was everything his dad had described: Smart, beautiful and so much more.

"Mom," he said again, savoring the name that had been robbed from him at such a young age. "Mom..."

She remained still, allowing all of his tears to be released onto her fur.

His shoulders heaved as the tears continued to flow not just from sadness, but from the joy of finally seeing his mother who had given her life to save his so long ago. The life that would eventually lead him to become the Dragon Warrior.

"I'm so proud of you," she told him fondly, gently stroking his back. "I was always proud of you, Little Lotus."

"I missed you so much," Po sobbed, squeezing her tighter. But he was careful not to squeeze too tight.

"And I you," she said softly, hugging her long-lost son just as tight. A few stray tears escaped; the last time she'd hugged her baby, she had to leave him behind in a radish basket. "But I'm afraid we can't stay like this forever."

"What?" Po sniffled, finally releasing his hold. But just a little, his paws still wrapped around hers. "This is the Spirit Realm. I'm pretty sure it goes on forever."

"All good things must come to an end," another voice suddenly interrupted. Po turned, wondering just how being dead could be good, when his eyes landed on a very familiar tortoise floating towards them. He gasped.

"Master Oogway...I'm really sorry about the staff!" Po blurted, covering his mouth with a paw soon after. "I just wanted to see if it was indestructible..."

The old master gave a little chuckle. "No need to worry, Dragon Warrior..."

Po frowned. He knew that look—the look that the tortoise was up to something.

"You have to go back, sweetie," his mother said, as though she'd read his mind. "They need you."

"But...I'm dead, aren't I?" Po was extremely confused. He'd died, hadn't he?

"Are you?" Oogway asked with a smile. It wasn't a smile filled with grief or sorrow, but his usual smile that let Po know for _sure_ that he had to be up to something.

Po sighed. Why couldn't Oogway just give him a straight answer for once? He looked to his mother for help, but she remained silent, smiling at her son as he attempted to figure things out on his own.

"So...I guess this means I can go back, like last time..." Po whispered to himself. But then again, did he even _want_ to go back? Kai had defeated him by trapping him inside of his own house as he had become weaker and weaker without his Chi. He'd taken his friends and family as prisoners. What was there to go back to? His Chi was gone. He couldn't defeat Kai without it!

Master Oogway watched as Po debated with himself, his smile never wavering. It only grew wider when he saw a light bulb switch on in the panda's mind.

"I can't defeat Kai without my Chi," Po said, determination beginning to override his hopelessness. "But then again, I never even _had_ my Chi when I defeated Tai Lung and Lord Shen. I mean I did, but I didn't know how to use it back then."

A memory crossed his mind of the Dragon Scroll and his reflection.

 _There is no secret ingredient,_ his dad had told him. It had been at that moment before facing Tai Lung that he had realized something very important.

 _It's you._

"Ahh, but I'm afraid you will need more than just yourself this time around," Oogway said, his grin spreading tenfold. "For it is a great challenge to face one's self."

What? What did _that_ mean? Did it have something to do with the fact that Kai had his powers? But before Po could think more into it, the tortoise had brought out his own staff, his _bigger_ staff, beginning to raise it.

"Wait! What about you?" Po asked his mother as he began to feel light-headed and dizzy.

"I'll be alright," she said. "I'll always be watching over you, Little Lotus...my baby Po. Tell your father I said hi..."

Before Po could respond, everything went black.

* * *

The Dragon Warrior was gone.

Po was gone.

Li and Mr. Ping hadn't said a word since they discovered that their son had passed away during the night. Tigress had remained silent herself, and it was difficult to look the two fathers in the eye. Li had wanted to race to the Jade Palace and give Kai a piece of his mind. Tigress had wanted to do the same, but surprisingly, Mr. Ping was the one who had kept the two of them grounded.

"He still needs us," the goose had said. The only words he had spoken for the entire day. His tears had already run out.

They couldn't bring themselves to leave the Dragon Warrior's side. Tigress felt terrible for Li; he had just gotten his son back, and then he had lost him. Her mind was numb and she had trouble thinking straight, trying to hold back her rage that would surely be the end of Kai no matter if he had the Dragon Warrior's powers.

Lei Lei helped to cool down her anger, staying seated in her lap and playing with her Tigress action figure, waiting for Po to 'wake up.'

But he wasn't going to wake up ever again.

The silence was almost unbearable.

Tigress's eyes suddenly widened in shock when Master Oogway's staff began to shake and start piecing itself back together, strands of gold wrapping around it until the staff was no longer snapped in half. She glanced hurriedly back in Po's direction, Li and Mr. Ping following suit. Much to their disappointment, the panda remained still.

"What's happening...?" Li asked quietly.

An ear-splitting roar shattered the silence.


	13. Chapter 13

He couldn't believe how easy it had been.

It was so easy!

Now that he had the Dragon Warrior's powers, everything was working in his favor. The Jade Palace was his along with everyone inside of it. He was going to make all of them _pay_ for what they had done to him during his last visit to the Mortal Realm. He was never going back to the Spirit Realm again; the Jade Palace was his new home, and he would rule all of the Valley of Peace.

It was confirmed when he felt that the 'real' Dragon Warrior was finally gone. It was such a glorious feeling as he felt the panda's spirit fading away bit by bit as his body had grown weaker without his Chi.

Now the process was complete.

He was finally the _true_ Dragon Warrior.

"Your precious Dragon Warrior is _dead,"_ Kai proclaimed as the Five and the pandas finished gathering around him. They gasped at his announcement, lowering their heads in dismay. They didn't want to have anything to do with the evil spirit warrior, but they had no choice. After days of being trapped with nowhere else to go, they had quickly learned that they absolutely _had_ to listen...or else. Kai was disappointed to find that 'Tigress,' or Little Kitten, had not been trapped inside the palace with the others. But that didn't matter. Everything was going according to plan.

Master Shifu couldn't believe it. He didn't _want_ to believe it. Po couldn't be gone! He himself had been back to feeling dreadful the last few days, his headache slowly returning. But he knew that Kai was right when it had, once again, just disappeared. He stood in front of the pandas, his last remaining students by his side. Crane and Mantis were still healing, and with a heavy heart, he knew that chances of full recovery for them were extremely low if no one could use their Chi. While he had exempted his ban on their powers, Kai had made sure that Crane and Mantis were left as examples of what could happen if they didn't listen to their new master.

"Bow to your new Dragon Warrior," Kai ordered the group before him. The Five listened, Viper lowering her head and Monkey reluctantly settling down onto his knees. The pandas listened, terrified of what would happen if they didn't. Kai smiled, but his smile faded when only one out of the group stayed standing.

Master Shifu.

"Bow," Kai ordered the small red panda. Shifu kept still, his eyes steadily trained on the evil spirit warrior.

"Now. _Bow,"_ Kai growled.

"No matter how the wind howls, the mountain does not bow to it," Shifu stated simply, holding his ground. He wasn't going to let Kai get his instant gratification no matter what was going to happen next. The only ones he would ever bow and show his respect to were his students, Po's family and...Oogway if they ever got the chance to see each other again, and Shifu assumed that it would be soon if he kept this up. But he wasn't afraid.

Kai's golden eyes flashed and he snorted in annoyance, raising a hoof soon after. He stared directly into Shifu's eyes, searching for what he was looking for until he finally found and took hold of it, just like he had done to the bug and bird when he'd first arrived.

No matter how hard Shifu fought against the invasion of his mind, he couldn't control his actions. His paws were shaking as well as his legs. He closed his eyes, trying to ward off the spirit warrior's internal commands.

 _Inner peace,_ he tried desperately. _Inner peace._ He did his best to stay calm, building walls and blocking Kai from entering his mind even further. But just as soon as the walls were built, they crumbled. He eventually had no choice but to fall to his knees obediently at Kai's feet, leaving him breathless when the warrior released his mind at last, his eyes opening.

"Never forget your place," Kai said to the pandas around him. Viper and Monkey raced to their fallen master, but before they could reach Shifu and before Kai could fling them backwards, the building trembled as a great roaring, thunder-like sound interrupted.

The pandas jumped, frightened. Master Shifu panted from his spot on the floor, glancing up at the ceiling to see the building shake. From where he lay, he could see just a bit of the outside, where the golden shield still stood. The shield that he had tried with all of his might to break down whenever he had the chance, but had never managed to do so. But soon the shield simply vanished. Disappeared as a golden light was shot right into it, causing the shield to flash and fade away.

Kai growled again in a rage, running to the outside of the palace where all the commotion was taking place.

The pandas nervously followed suit, hardly believing their eyes as they saw that they were finally free.

But it wasn't over yet.

Crawling downwards from the palace roof until it stood before them was a very large, very angry golden dragon that Kai instantly recognized. It was the dragon that had led to his 'destruction' in the Spirit Realm, but in a more physical kind of form and not as translucent.

Shifu stared wide-eyed at the dragon as he finally made it to the palace entrance, his legs still wobbly from his struggle with Kai. Luckily, he still had his staff that was able to keep him balanced.

Where had the beast come from? Its eyes were a bright green and they stared back at him with a gentle expression that let the master know it was there to help. Those eyes...they were very familiar and he knew that he had seen them somewhere before, but he just couldn't place it.

The dragon turned its gaze away from Shifu and back to Kai, letting out a low and threatening growl.

Kai stared. He stared long and hard until he finally grinned and shook his head, chuckling at the newly created Spirit Warrior who had returned to claim what was rightfully 'his.'

"Big mistake, Oogway."


	14. Chapter 14

_Thank you once again everyone for all the reviews/follows/faves, or for simply reading :) You're amazing and I really appreciate it!_

* * *

Fighting against your own powers was a lot harder than Po had thought it would be, and he was starting to see why Master Oogway had turned him into a dragon in the first place. It was, however, making it very difficult to fight against Kai in an entirely new and different body.

Well, not exactly different. He'd controlled the dragon before in the Spirit Realm. But that was just it. _Controlled._ The only difference was that he was now THE dragon, and it was a lot harder than simply using it as a puppet and being able to fly seamlessly through the air; Po wondered if he could fly now, and how amazingly awesome it would be if he really _could._ He didn't have wings, but the Spirit Realm dragon didn't have wings, either.

He also realized that he couldn't talk, but that didn't bother him too much. He could make himself look and _sound_ intimidating just by growling at his past and current enemy. But Po was going to make sure that Kai would _stay_ gone this time, and that he would never again return from the Spirit Realm.

And also make sure that he didn't give away his Chi by accident once it was restored. Po had no idea how, but he was going to get his Chi back one way or another; he wasn't going to let Kai get away with this! Now he was _the_ Dragon Warrior, and he was going to make Kai sorry that he had ever hurt his master, friends and family.

Unfortunately, Kai wasn't intimidated that easily, especially since he now had the Dragon Warrior's powers.

Before he could even make a move to snatch Kai in his jaws, the other spirit warrior simply lifted a hoof just as quick and snapped his mouth shut...by not even _touching_ him?!

 _Since when could I do **that?!**_ Po thought frantically, shaking himself to get rid of the sharp pain that jabbed through his head.

Po finally realized what Tigress had meant by _'he has some kind of a new power that we've never seen before'_ —Kai was using the Dragon Warrior's powers, _his_ powers—to their fullest extent, and he was using them for _evil._

Not cool.

* * *

Shifu had begun to lead everyone away and out of the Jade Palace. It felt so nice to be outside again, but he just didn't have time to take in the moment, still baffled by the dragon that had come to their rescue. Kai had said something about Oogway—a mistake. What exactly did _that_ mean? Shifu had absolutely no idea, but he assumed that Oogway definitely had something to do with the dragon that was now facing Kai head-on.

The little panda cubs ran past and down the Jade Palace stairs, doing their best not to stop and look at the ongoing fight before them. Bao rushed to Shifu, staying by his side and watching as the dragon attempted to crush the spirit warrior with its hand. Kai simply dodged, moving out of the way at an incredible speed that left the dragon staring in utter confusion.

Shifu was sure that he knew those eyes from somewhere, but he still couldn't place it. It was almost as if they belonged to...but that wasn't possible.

But Bao knew those big, green eyes anywhere.

"That's not a dragon! It's Po!" he called in excitement as he followed Shifu down the steps.

...What? Was _that_ what Kai meant by 'big mistake, Oogway?' Po had returned from the Spirit Realm and was now a gigantic dragon? Shifu _did_ recall Po saying something about a dragon after his past experience in the Spirit Realm, but he hadn't been given the full details.

"I'm getting too old for this," Shifu mumbled as he continued making his way down. _What did you do to the poor panda, Oogway?_

But there was no time to think anymore. He had to get everyone away from the ongoing fight, and fast before they became too caught up in the middle of it.

* * *

Kai was too strong. He was too fast.

Po could hardly keep up with him as the two carried out their fight around the Jade Palace; Po had to be careful not to hit anything with his large tail as it swayed back and forth along with his movements. But it helped that Shifu had carried out his suggestion about making the palace bigger so that his whole family could fit inside, thus _just_ making enough room for a dragon to fit through the halls.

He found out that he could breathe fire. He could breathe fire and it didn't hurt his throat one bit as he shot the flames directly onto Kai. But the immortal spirit warrior wasn't even affected by the blast, simply creating a golden shield around himself, much like he had when he'd trapped everyone in the Jade Palace.

...If _fire_ couldn't touch him, then what would? Po didn't want to risk setting the Valley of Peace aflame, so he instantly toned it down.

Kai laughed as the dragon stood stock-still, assessing the situation as quickly as he possibly could. What more was there to do?

"Give up yet, 'Dragon' Warrior? Now that I have your Chi—"

The spirit warrior found himself interrupted by an annoyed grumble.

"—I am unstoppable! You were—"

Another irritated grumble.

"—Such a _fool_ to give—"

The dragon simply grumbled again and rolled its eyes.

...Was it _mocking_ him? Before he could say another word, Kai found himself pinned mercilessly underneath the dragon's behind. Now he was certain that it was laughing. It was actually _laughing_ at him.

Po stood up once more from where he sat, freeing Kai from his hold and slapping him with his gigantic tail. Dazed, Kai nearly stumbled backwards down the Jade Palace stairs.

 _Chitty chitty chat chat,_ Kai could almost hear the panda saying as he attempted to regain his composure.

 _Time to end this._

The spirit warrior lifted a hoof, staring deeply into the dragon's eyes.

Po stared back, mesmerized. He was suddenly finding it very hard to think straight as his vision began to blur and his legs shook.

A voice temporarily broke Kai's concentration and Po was freed from his control.

"Come on, Po! Fight it! I know you can!"

 _Tigress?_ Po rumbled. She sounded so relieved to find that he was still alive. How she knew that it was him in dragon form, he didn't know, but just hearing her voice gave him new life and determination.

 _"We_ know you can," two new voices chimed in.

 _...Dad? **Dad?**_ Extra willpower poured in as he heard his fathers. But Kai was back to business.

Simple determination and will weren't enough. His vision was once again blurred by Kai's control. He growled, desperately rubbing his head on the hard ground below him. The pulling sensation was driving him crazy, it was driving him insane. Kai was _using his own powers against him._ He couldn't fight this!

Po couldn't even make out the shiny, golden shape that Kai was forming with Chi. He was still too wrapped up in the awful sensation that was prickling inside of his brain until he could no longer make sense of anything at all.

Kai smiled slowly, lifting the golden arrow that he had created and waiting for the perfect moment.

Tigress, Li and Mr. Ping could only watch in horror as the weapon was sent flying and struck its desired target—directly into Po's chest.


	15. Chapter 15

The pain was back.

Po had thought that having your Chi, your _life-force_ slowly drain out of you was the worst possible pain you could imagine.

But having an arrow being shot straight into your chest was even _worse._

The fallen dragon lay on its side, chest heaving up and down as it attempted to process what had just transpired between him and his foe.

He thought he could see Tigress moving towards him. He squirmed, trying to tell her not to come any closer and letting out a small cry as his wound was agitated. If she understood, she didn't listen, kneeling down next to his head and looking into his pained gaze.

"It's okay, it's okay," she told him softly, hardly believing that Kai had the audacity to do such a thing. But then again, he _was_ the Master of Pain and had certainly lived up to his title. She stroked his face with a paw and he calmed at the touch, but it didn't make the pain hurt any less.

As his vision cleared, Po could make out the shapes of Li and Mr. Ping as they made their way towards the two.

"I know what we have to do," Li said gently as he tried not to panic at the sight of the arrow, clutching Po's staff in his hand that had magically put itself back together. "And you do, too." No matter what his son was going to 'say,' he had to! He wasn't going to stand by and watch him die _again..._

Po's eyes widened and he tried squirming away. They were going to try and use their Chi to heal him. He wouldn't let them do it! It might have been different if he'd allowed it as a panda, but as a _dragon..._ they would _definitely_ be using too much! He tried once again to wriggle away. But the arrow hurt so _bad,_ like a thousand burning needles that were poking his entire body with every move he made. He couldn't get that far.

 _No, dad, no! You can't! Get out of here, Kai's going to_ —

"Hello, little kitten," Kai himself said as he approached the small group. "I was so disappointed to find that you hadn't been trapped in this palace along with the others."

Tigress growled, protectively wrapping her arms around Po's neck, but being careful not to irritate his wound further. Kai only chuckled, staring at his arrow with that same smile that hadn't left his face since firing it at Po.

Li, no matter how much he wanted to tackle and pummel Kai to the ground, ignored the yak and closed his eyes. He reached his hand out so that he could rest it on Po's chest beside the arrow and lifted Oogway's staff. Po flinched but otherwise remained still, having no choice but to let his father try. Mr. Ping copied Li's movements, resting a wing next to his paw. He could join Li in pummeling Kai later; his son needed them now more than ever.

Kai snorted in rage at the sight that the two were going to attempt to heal the Dragon Warrior. Tigress would have jumped from her spot to prevent his next action had she not been cradling Po.

But before Kai could even lift a hoof, he was suddenly slammed backwards by an unexpected, invisible force—a force much like the one that occurred whenever Kai chose to use 'his' powers on an innocent living being.

Li opened his eyes, disturbed by the commotion, and turned his head in the opposite direction towards the palace's entrance, keeping his paw in place.

"Master Shifu!" he exclaimed as he saw the red panda coming into view and holding his own staff in an outward position. Behind him, an extra group of pandas followed.

While they still had time and the evil warrior was out cold, Shifu raised his staff once more. A strong, golden glow appeared, and began to circle around the spirit until he was encased in a golden shield.

Shifu couldn't help but smirk. _What goes around, comes around._

"It won't last long. We have to hurry..." he said, taking his place beside Tigress and assessing Po's arrow wound. He cringed, knowing that it was going to take a lot of effort from everyone to make this work.

Po was beginning to find it very difficult to keep his eyes open as the pandas began to surround him. But now he knew that it wasn't just Li, Mr. Ping and Tigress who were willing to sacrifice their Chi for him.

They weren't alone. _He_ wasn't alone, and the thought actually managed to pry a soft smile from him through his pain as he looked up at his friends and family. They were finally together once again, and Kai wasn't going to be able to keep them apart. They could do this!

But time was running out as Kai was beginning to wake up and Shifu's shield was deteriorating, and Po himself was slowly ebbing away, pain from the arrow increasing with every breath he took. It hurt so _much..._

"Hang on, Po," Tigress told her friend for the second time as she closed her eyes in concentration, emitting a glow from her paws as the others around her did the same, including little Lei Lei.

From the palace entrance, Bao could only watch as the others surrounded Po and used their Chi. He wanted to help, he really did. But fear held him back as he remembered Po's fainting spell in the Hall of Heroes. He also remembered helping Po all the way from the Mortal Realm.

But this was different. He hadn't been _right there_ when Po had been trapped in Kai's clutches in the Spirit Realm. He was here _now,_ and the thought terrified him that something could go horribly wrong, and it would be all his fault.

A pained sob tore him from his thoughts and he looked up to see Tigress clutching Po's head in a desperate motion.

"Master, it's not working," she said quietly as Po's breathing became more and more shallow. "Please, Po...stay with us..." The other pandas concentrated as hard as they could, golden Chi enveloping all around the large dragon.

But it was no use as Po's eyes slowly slid shut.

 _I'm sorry, Tigress. I can't,_ Po thought drowsily as he welcomed the darkness that was going to take his pain away.

Tigress's gaze landed on Bao, and the little cub jumped when she motioned for him to help. After what had happened to Po in the Hall of Heroes, he'd been absolutely terrified to even think of using his Chi. Now they wanted him to help heal a _dragon?_

The little panda took a step backwards as if he were about to run out of the palace. Tigress was afraid that he would actually follow through with the action. But then he glanced down at his paws, a look of determination slowly crossing his face. He didn't have _time_ to be afraid now. Po needed him! But he also needed...a light bulb switched on.

Tigress couldn't believe it as Bao ran in the other direction, away from the group of pandas and away from any chance of healing Po's wound. Letting out a soft growl, she had no choice but to continue activating her Chi, keeping her paw firmly placed on Po's head. She knew that she couldn't be mad at Bao for leaving. He was just a cub and she understood why he was so afraid after his incident in the Hall of Heroes.

But what she didn't expect next was to feel a hand, no—a _wing_ being placed on her shoulder. Glancing up, she was shocked to see Crane who smiled back at her, and Mantis from atop his hat. They were both fully healed with not a broken bone or wing in sight! Bao stood beside them and he grinned at her, Tigress finding herself grinning back. He had managed to help them finish their own healing process. Of _course_ he would never leave Po behind, and the smart little cub had known that they were going to need all the help that they could get in order to save such a huge dragon.

Crane and Mantis watched, amazed, as Tigress closed her eyes once more and her Chi engulfed the arrow. They mimicked her actions and closed their own eyes, concentrating on the arrow as Tigress demonstrated.

 _No!_

Snarling from behind Shifu's shield, a newly awakened Kai could see that their Chi was working as the arrow began to dissolve. Everyone was together, and he couldn't stop it.

But he could try.

Shifu's shield vanished.

Bao let out a yelp of pain just after he placed his little paws against Po's chest just below the arrow. His golden Chi wrapped around and around, until finally...

The arrow vanished just like the shield.

Kai tore Bao's paw away from Po's chest and flung the cub backwards.

Bright green eyes shot open.

 _Big mistake, Kai._


	16. Chapter 16

Kai didn't regret hurting the stupid little cub. He didn't regret it even as he was suddenly slammed to the ground by a massive dragon ten times bigger than him.

The little brat deserved it!

Po caught the spirit warrior in his claws before he could try to make a move to run or fight back, dragging him backwards towards the Jade Palace entrance across the floor...

Until they were finally face-to-face with Po's old enemy.

 _Stairs._

Instead of simply hurling Kai across the steps much like Shifu had done to him, Po took hold of the yak in his mouth, hanging him right over the edge...

Where a gigantic drop awaited.

"What are you going to do, big guy? Drop me?" Kai questioned as he was left hanging from the dragon's mouth, his feet dangling.

"I'm so scared!" He mocked. Before the dragon could actually follow through with his plan, Kai concentrated. He concentrated hard to tell the beast to put him back down gently on the ground. He didn't want to deal with this right now—he was _immortal._ A 'mere' drop such as this wouldn't harm a hair on his head. Sure, it might hurt, but it wouldn't _kill_ him.

It took a few moments for him to realize that the dragon wasn't paying attention to him. He either wasn't paying attention, not listening...or his powers...

Kai stared down at his hooves in total confusion.

 _Why wasn't his Chi working?_

He glanced back up at Po. The dragon grinned at him from between his hold on Kai, and his eyes flashed from green to a dark kind of gold that matched the lighter coloring of his shiny scales.

No... _how?_

Kai growled in response, continuing to try and make the Dragon Warrior's powers work on his command. He tried to take control of the dragon holding him hostage, but _nothing was working!_

Po only continued to grin through his hold on Kai, finally giving the spirit warrior a small nod in response to his question.

Kai screamed as he fell, feeling the world rushing and spinning around him.

* * *

Po knew he still had time while Kai was falling from the Jade Palace steps. It was a long way down, after all. He returned to his fathers and the group of pandas before him. They stared in awe at the huge dragon that they had helped to heal, and Li and Mr. Ping slowly approached as Po bent down to give Bao a gentle nudge to see if he was alright.

The little cub smiled and nodded as if to answer Po's question, and he gave his snout a gentle pat. Po smiled in return, relieved that Bao appeared to be okay—a bit shaken up, but otherwise okay. The others marveled at the major size difference between him and Po and how the cub trusted him that he wouldn't be crushed.

He turned back to his fathers and like Bao, they wrapped their arms and wings around his head in a tender motion. Po smiled again and closed his eyes in content, happy to be back together after such a painful ordeal.

But it still wasn't over.

Po opened his eyes and to his fathers' shock, they were...a dark gold instead of green? A sense of sudden realization overcame them. Po's Chi had been _gone._ Kai had stolen it from him when the panda accidentally 'gave' it to him in the Spirit Realm. But along with their help when he had been shot with the arrow...the arrow made of _his_ Chi...

Kai had made a big mistake, just like Po had made a big mistake when he'd 'given' Kai his Chi.

The True Dragon Warrior was back, and he still had a job to finish.

"No...I'm not letting you go back out there!" Li suddenly shouted. Mr. Ping jumped in shock at the outburst. "He shot you with an _arrow!_ I'm not letting anything like that happen again!"

Po blinked and looked ahead out to the palace entrance where Kai was sure to still be falling. A pulling sensation was tugging at him again, but it wasn't the same as when Kai had tried to take control of his mind. It was that itching feeling that he had to do something, that _something_ needed to be done; it wouldn't go away until he finished what he was meant to do.

His Chi had returned.

But it wasn't over yet.

"I can't lose you again..." Li almost said in a whine. First it was Lord Shen that had taken his son and _wife_ away from him. Then it was Kai when the Beast of Vengeance had made his way to their village, and Po sending himself to the Spirit Realm in order to protect his friends and family. _Then_ his son had gotten shot and almost killed by an arrow fired by the very same villain that had tried to take over their village and everyone's Chi along with it.

Po blinked once more and nuzzled Li in a comforting motion. _You won't lose me, dad. I promise. But I have to do this. It's my job, remember?_

"The secret ingredient is...nothing." Mr. Ping decided to interrupt in an attempt to help calm Li's nerves.

"Huh?" Li asked, bewildered as the goose came closer to the two. The pandas surrounding them stayed quiet, listening along with the Furious Five and Master Shifu.

"My secret ingredient is...nothing!" Mr. Ping repeated, lifting his wings in tune with the revelation.

Li glanced at Po. He only stared back with a slightly amused expression drawn on his face as he watched his father's reaction. After all his cooking lessons from the bird, Li was finally getting the answer. So Mr. Ping's secret ingredient was actually... _nothing?_ Was this some sort of joke?

"I know you're worried," Mr. Ping said calmly, placing a wing on Li's shoulder. "I am, too. We all are...but we have to let him finish this on his own."

Li hadn't been expecting that at all. But it was starting to become a little clearer. _The secret ingredient is... **you**_ **.**

"Uh, Po, I think he's still falling," Tigress said from her spot nearby.

Li stared at Mr. Ping, sighing before he approached his son with Oogway's repaired staff in hand. "I know you can do this," he said softly, never breaking eye contact. "So go get 'em...Dragon Warrior." He bowed, holding out the staff for his son to take.

Po lowered his head in response before taking hold of the staff gently as he possibly could in his mouth, being careful not to snap it in half again; it was way too simple with the powerful jaws that he now possessed.

Li and Mr. Ping watched, astonished, as Po turned and ran out of the palace. They followed as quickly as they could with the other pandas and Master Shifu behind along with the Five, and stared on in horror as Po jumped off of the edge of the stairs.

"W—where'd he go?" Li asked in mild panic. He knew he had to _try_ and not be worried, but his son had just **_thrown himself off of the dreaded palace steps!_**

Some in the group nearly fell over and had to back up when a rush of wind raced past them and a large shape made its way up towards the sky.

* * *

Kai was screaming in rage as he was carried off higher and higher.

Po was thinking how amazingly, utterly AWESOME it was that he...he actually, really and truly...could _FLY!_

He didn't even have wings and he was **_FLYING!_**

He spun in circles, dropping Kai and then catching him...just to get on the spirit warrior's nerves.

Kai only screamed louder, trying to get something back that he had lost and what Po would never lose again.

The Dragon Warrior decided that enough was enough when Kai attempted to free himself from the strong grip in his claws to no avail.

 _Time to end this._

His staff grew brighter with a glowing white light.

And brighter...

Until finally—

* * *

The group from below watched, amazed and terrified, as a blinding white light exploded and the yak and dragon both vanished into thin air.


	17. Chapter 17

The sudden switch between realms was a bit disorienting. Po didn't know what was exactly disorienting about it; he had _expected_ to get to the Spirit Realm after using the Wuxi Finger Hold on himself and Kai the first time, and he'd been more excited and shocked that it had actually worked than confused upon arriving.

Maybe it was because of his second visit to the Spirit Realm after he had 'died,' but he figured it wasn't that either as he remembered feeling the best he had after being sick for so long.

But then Po realized why he was so disoriented.

He was still a dragon.

He hadn't reverted back to his panda form in the Spirit Realm as he'd expected. He had been ready to take control of the dragon like a puppet again in his original body, and then control it like he had during his first visit.

The fact didn't really bother him; he was finally used to his dragon body. But he had still expected to change back into a panda at least while he was in the Spirit Realm.

 _Maybe Master Oogway will change me back when this is all over,_ Po thought to himself as he dragged Kai kicking and screaming through the realm, all the while trying to get used to the new yet familiar floating sensation in his current form; it was different than being able to fly in the Mortal Realm where gravity was not as unpredictable as it was now.

"You brought me back _again,"_ Kai snarled as he dangled from Po's clawed grip.

The dragon simply rolled his eyes and continued to move forward, flying smoothly as he could through the golden air and the surrounding islands that dotted the ever-changing 'landscape.' He was lucky that, apparently, his staff had the ability to transport them back to the Spirit Realm; he wouldn't have known what to do otherwise since he didn't have fingers to do the Wuxi Finger Hold again. But it was like instinct, like second nature to him that the staff would act as a portal between worlds.

 _Well, we're never able to finish things in the regular realm, so—_

But then Po felt a searing hot pain in his side, similar to the pain he'd felt when he was hit by the arrow.

The dragon screeched and instantly dropped the spirit warrior, astounded to see that Kai's eyes were back to their normal green color instead of yellow—the color of Po's Chi.

Kai had regained his swords, the jade swords, and the chains that were attached so that he could pull his victims closer and steal their Chi. During the time that he had the Dragon Warrior's Chi, he had never needed them; Po's Chi was so strong that he had never needed to steal from anyone else.

But now he didn't have _any_ Chi.

And he was furious. He instantly threw the chained swords towards Po, who barely had time to react and get out of the way. He stood upon a floating rock that he'd managed to land on, the chains keeping him from floating back into the air.

 _He's going to try and take my Chi again,_ Po realized. He also realized that he couldn't exactly fight back like last time. He didn't want to risk giving away his Chi by accident.

He was totally defenseless besides breathing fire, and he doubted that breathing fire would be a good idea in a realm such as this; it would most likely come out as Chi instead of fire, anyway. He just _couldn't_ take that risk again!

Thinking fast, Po swirled around and avoided being caught by the chains that would pull him closer to Kai.

Unsure of what to do next, Po attempted to blend in with his surroundings. The golden surroundings camouflaged the dragon of the same color, and Kai could no longer see the Dragon Warrior as he managed to blend in to buy him time, almost invisible to the yak's eyes. He moved away from the spirit warrior quickly as he could without making too much movement that Kai could possibly see. The Maker of Widows snorted in annoyance and looked every which way around the realm, trying his best to find the now-invisible dragon. But he couldn't see a thing.

Po knew he had to think of something, and fast. He had to stay away from Kai and avoid being caught by said chains that would surely be his end.

Wait...his _end..._

 _"All good things come to an end,"_ Master Oogway had said after he'd talked to his mother. Po had wondered how being dead could possibly be good. But throwing that thought aside...

The Spirit Realm had an **_end._**

He just had to get Kai to that end, and make sure that he was never going to be able to get out again. Which way _was_ the end, exactly? Po had no idea. But just like he'd trusted his gut instinct to take him to the Spirit Realm by using his staff, he trusted his gut instinct to choose the right direction that would lead him and Kai to the End.

"There you are," Kai said with a smug grin as he saw Po's staff floating in midair—a major giveaway.

 _Oops,_ Po thought. But now was his chance.

With a great rumble, Po remained in his camouflaged state even though Kai could see him by pinpointing his staff, anyway. He shot quickly in the other direction and Kai followed, jumping along the islands and rocks behind the (almost) invisible dragon; Po knew that if he stayed camouflaged besides having his staff giving him away, Kai would still have a harder time seeing and hitting him, let alone grab him with his chains like he was grabbing the rocks to make his way across the realm.

It seemed like hours before the air around them suddenly had a change in atmosphere. Po didn't know how to describe it, everything felt...darker and not as pleasant. He slowed his pace and Kai slowed as well, the two finally coming to a stop near a gigantic corner of rock and floating matter; it was all so close together and closing in, and with his gigantic size, Po knew he wouldn't be able to fly ahead any further. He was stuck between the wall and Kai—there was nowhere else to 'run'—he was trapped.

"Now you have nowhere else to go," Kai said as he gazed at their new surroundings and Po revealed himself at last. Well, he had no choice _but_ to reveal himself; he wasn't able to blend in anymore. Not with everything as dark as it was now. Kai's eyes widened, and if Po didn't know any better, the Master of Pain actually looked _afraid._ Po wondered if it was because he had been to this exact same spot before when Oogway had first banished him to the Spirit Realm, before he had collected the Chi of all the masters and had the ability to go to the Mortal Realm. If anything, a look of familiarity had crossed his face.

And he was starting to back up, like he was going to make a move to run in the opposite direction.

Po didn't want to. He didn't want to use his newly returned powers for evil and wouldn't wish what he had experienced at Kai's hand on anyone; not even Kai himself.

But he _had_ to. He had to make sure that Kai was _never_ going to return to the Mortal Realm where he could hurt innocent people like his master, friends and family.

Ever. Again.

An image of Kai hurting Bao flashed through his mind, and he snorted in anger. He thought of being trapped in his house while Tigress and his fathers watched him grow sicker and sicker without his Chi until...Then an image of the shield that Shifu had created to keep Kai from getting out as easily while they had tried to heal his arrow wound. If Kai had made his own shield last for as long as it did with Po's powers, then he had a feeling he could make another that would last just as long.

Before he could turn and really make a break for it, Po stared directly into Kai's eyes, and the collector found himself standing stock-still on the rock and unable to move one bone in his body.

 _No..._ Kai thought desperately as the Dragon Warrior began to take him over. He couldn't control any of his own movements, his body wasn't listening to him and it was now being shoved towards the End of the Spirit Realm.

He was being pushed towards the End of the Spirit Realm where he was never going to be able to escape again, and Po was creating a personal prison for him using his returned Chi that would _absolutely_ make sure that he could never escape again.

Kai screamed as he was being pulled by an invisible force and thrust up against the dark, floating rubble. A bright, golden shield was being built up all around him at the same time, connecting itself to its surroundings and every possible escape route until it finally closed itself off, leaving Kai trapped inside of the corner that Po himself had been stuck between only moments before.

He was trapped.

Po released his hold on Kai. With all the strength he had left, he let out a roar just as ear-splitting as the one when he had first arrived in the Mortal Realm as a dragon, a roar that confirmed and let Kai know just _who_ the real Dragon Warrior was.

And then he left the immortal Master of Pain alone.

* * *

He panted, out of breath, and finally collapsed onto a nearby floating island. He barely made it onto land, and his tail was left hanging in shiny golden water.

He had just gotten his Chi back.

Then just as quickly, he'd lost it, having used up all his energy by taking control of Kai and creating a shield that would last forever. If not forever, then a very, very long time.

He'd used too much, just as Shifu had warned.

Darkness was closing in around the edges of his vision.

He just felt so dizzy and tired.

 _I'm sorry, dad._


	18. Chapter 18

_Happy (almost) Easter! Wow, this story has officially reached 100+ reviews? My mind is blown! Thank you guys so much :D I have to tell you now that, as excited and sad as I am about it, we're nearing the end already! I will miss working on this and hearing from all of you :) But it's not over yet!_

* * *

Li was pacing back and forth.

Mr. Ping was watching him pace back and forth.

"We don't even know where they went," he said in exasperation, staring back up at the setting sky. "They could be anywhere! Or worse..."

"Don't think like that," Mr. Ping scolded.

"I don't know why, but I have a feeling that Po took him to the Spirit Realm again," Tigress spoke up as she joined the two fathers outside the Jade Palace.

Li's eyes bulged at the thought. He'd been so _worried_ the first time that Po had sent himself to the Spirit Realm, and the fact that he might be there now didn't make him any less worried. What if they couldn't save him this time? There was no symbol on the ground to suggest that he needed their help, or that he was even...Li tried to shove the thought out of his mind, but he couldn't help it.

"He's probably making sure that Kai will never come back again," Tigress tried to comfort the panda. Lei Lei sat in her arms, the action figure of herself in hand, as always. Tigress couldn't help but hug the precious little cub closer in an attempt to calm her own nerves; she really _didn't_ have any idea where Po might have taken Kai. The two of them had simply disappeared as though they were never there in the first place, and the thought left her just as unsettled as Li.

"I believe Tigress is right," another voice put in. The group looked down to see Master Shifu approaching, his staff in hand. "All this time, I've been experiencing terrible headaches on and off. They finally stopped."

"What does that mean?" Li questioned curiously. He himself had a headache from worrying about his son so much. It was nice to know that Shifu was also worried, but why were his headaches any different?

"Before all of this happened," Shifu began to explain, "I experienced a terrible headache like the ones that stopped only moments ago. I assumed that Master Oogway was trying to tell me something important." He glanced over to the statue that, luckily, Kai hadn't bothered to destroy again. They were _extremely_ lucky that Kai hadn't decided to wreck the Jade Palace again, either.

Li and Mr. Ping listened, hanging onto every word that the red panda was telling them. Shifu suddenly felt something warm and soft wrap around his legs, and he looked down to see Bao staring up at him with a hopeful expression. Hope that his best friend wasn't gone for good.

"Po's gonna come back, right?" he asked Shifu in a tiny voice that mimicked the worry of the Dragon Warrior's fathers. Crane and Mantis watched sorrowfully as the cub tried his very best not to cry. Bao had played an important role in helping them get back on their feet, and they didn't want to see the panda cub so upset.

"I have a hunch," a new voice decided to chime in.

Li and Mr. Ping's eyes grew wide as they looked behind Shifu to see someone—someone that they hadn't expected to see at all, or not for a very long time. Bao gasped and Crane and Mantis nearly fell over at the sight before them. Tigress didn't know what to think.

Shifu frowned at their shocked expressions, wondering who the voice belonged to. He knew it from somewhere, but...that wasn't...

"Ooh, another green baby," Lei Lei giggled in excitement, reaching her arms out.

"...Green baby?" Shifu's eyes grew just as wide in turn and he spun around in shock, only to come face-to-face with...

"Master Oogway!" he exclaimed, eyes big as saucers. "You—you're _here..."_ he said weakly, but immediately bowing with the others following his lead.

"Shifu," the tortoise greeted with a smile. "It has been quite awhile, my old friend."

"It has. And you turned one of my students into a dragon," Shifu said, unsure of what to think. Oogway chuckled at this.

"He merely became one with his dragon counterpart."

Shifu still didn't know what to think. There was his master, standing right in front of him as though he had never disappeared into a plethora of petals that fateful night under the Peach Tree of Wisdom. But at last, he allowed a slow smile to spread across his shocked expression, doing his best not to leave his mouth hanging open. So Oogway _did_ have the power to return to the Mortal Realm, even though he had told Po that he'd never tried.

Well, now he had. Shifu scolded himself for doubting that his master would ever return. He had decided to come in the flesh, instead of the form of pounding headaches which Shifu was grateful for.

The group glanced behind Oogway, searching for someone who clearly wasn't there.

"Where's...?" Mr. Ping started, his heart about to break. If the legendary master had come back without his son, that could only mean bad news, right?

Oogway continued to smile. "The Dragon Warrior lives," he said in a calming tone, "and I believe it is time for him to wake up." The tortoise brought out the staff that Li had handed to Po before he had gone to face Kai. Li bowed in respect and Oogway placed the staff into his hands.

Li and Mr. Ping glanced at each other, soon realizing what Oogway meant by his statement after they had been given Po's staff. They turned and instantly left, racing as fast as they could back to the noodle shop with the Five and other pandas following close behind.

Shifu soon found himself standing alone with his master, much like they had on the night he left, besides the fact that Bao was still with them. He had so much to say, yet so little time. "Master, I—"

Oogway held up a hand. "There will be another time, Shifu. Yesterday is history, tomorrow a mystery, but today is a gift. Cherish this gift." He glanced down and winked at Bao still wrapped around the red panda's legs, and the cub's eyes widened as Oogway spoke wise words to him.

"I always knew you would believe," the wind whispered. "Now you must believe once again for The Dragon Warrior."


	19. Chapter 19

Li and Mr. Ping sat by their son's side, waiting patiently for him to wake up as Oogway said he would. It was dark now, the night enveloping the silence as they waited. They knew he was going to wake up—he _had_ to. But their worrying wasn't over yet.

What if Master Oogway was wrong?

Shifu sat beside Tigress, watching the Dragon Warrior with a heavy expression. He was unsure of what was going to happen next and almost unaware as Tigress had been that he was in Po's bedroom for the first time. His master had said that he would wake up, yes—but the tortoise also said that he had to believe once again. Whatever that implied, Shifu didn't know. At least his headaches were gone...but he was giving himself another just by wracking his brain and trying to figure out what Oogway had meant.

Bao sat with Shifu, cuddling up against the old master and trying not to fall asleep while he waited for Po to wake up along with the others. Shifu couldn't really resist, for Bao had somehow managed to sneakily worm his way into his lap. Li and Mr. Ping had allowed the cub to come inside with them, for they knew that he would be one of the first of Po's friends that the panda would want to see upon waking.

Tigress couldn't help but send Shifu a smile as she held her own cub that she had come to know so well; little Lei Lei had also found a lap of her own to call home for the time being.

Shifu wondered how he would ever be able to send the pandas back home to their village now, especially after all they'd been through. But the Valley of Peace could be a dangerous place, as Kai had reminded them. Even if everything seemed quiet and slow at times, there was always _something_ that would prove them otherwise. He didn't know if the pandas themselves would even _want_ to stay after all that occurred, or if Po would want to go back with them as well...but Shifu decided he would cross that bridge when the time came.

Po was finally breathing again, Tigress noticed. His hand didn't feel so weightless when she took it in hers once again and she squeezed, Lei Lei fast asleep against her shoulders.

But something was wrong.

His breathing was just as ragged as the night when he had...she didn't want to be brought back to that horrible night.

"...Po?" Tigress asked weakly. _Not again!_

She couldn't bear to go through what she had the first night the Po had died a second time. The way his paw had felt so limp and lifeless against hers...she couldn't handle it.

"You don't think...Kai got his Chi again, do you?" Mr. Ping couldn't help but ask, his voice a low whisper. He couldn't stand to see his son in so much pain again. Master Oogway had told them that he would wake up!

"No...he must have used too much to make sure that Kai wouldn't get out," Shifu said after he managed to pry a now-sleeping Bao out of his lap, setting the cub gently as he possibly could onto the bedroom floor, grateful that he wasn't awake to see Po in such a state.

Li clutched Po's staff as if his own life depended on it, his heart hammering.

"He must still have at least a _little_ left," the panda said desperately.

But Tigress knew that this wasn't the case. Even with just a little Chi, it was still painful.

He was going to...

It wasn't fair! Why had Oogway told them he would wake up when he really _wouldn't?!_

"We can't...we can't let him suffer again," she said quietly.

Li wanted to scream. He wanted to punch something, _anything_ and stop his son from leaving once more.

But he couldn't do any of that.

"We have to let him go," Mr. Ping barely managed to get out, his shoulders slumped in defeat. He didn't want to see his son in any more pain.

And Li didn't, either. No matter how much it hurt.

"If you need to go..." Li said shakily as he made his way towards Po's bed. "You can. It's okay."

* * *

 _No! I'm not going anywhere! I don't want to go!_

 _I promised..._

 _...Inner peace...inner peace..._

 _Inner—_

* * *

Shifu remembered Oogway's final words to him before he had left.

 _Now you must believe once again for the Dragon Warrior._

So he believed, having trust in his master's words.

The staff in Li's hands began to glow.

Mr. Ping watched in shock. Instead of glowing white like it had when Po and Kai disappeared, it was glowing gold...the color of Po's Chi. Hope began to creep in again, and they gripped their son's staff together along with Shifu. Tigress raised a hand and placed it in between the other three.

Lei Lei yawned, blinking her eyes open at the shining light. "Wakey," she said in an almost demanding kind of tone.

Bao had woken, crawling gently onto his friend's stomach much like he had when they played together in the Panda Village.

"Po...you're not dead."

Except he wasn't kidding. He wasn't 'playing' dead like he had back then. Bao knew that chances of Po waking up again were low, and he probably knew more than the adults wanted him to.

But then a miracle happened.

Tigress felt her hand being squeezed in return.

Bright green eyes slowly opened, face spreading into a smile. A real and true smile that she could see amongst the light, a smile that Tigress could tell wasn't forced and filled with so much pain.

And Po said his first word.

His first word since turning back into a panda.

"Nope."


	20. Chapter 20

_Well...it's here! The end is finally here! I wanted to make sure that this chapter was the longest out of all 20 (not counting this author's note, of course) because hey...it's the end! This story was truly a joy to write, even though some parts might not have been the most joyous, if you know what I mean. It was great writing for one of my favorite films ever; Kung Fu Panda will always have a special place in my heart. As for this story's 'future,' I will say that I do have an idea or two for a **possible** sequel in mind...but I'm pretty happy with how this ended, so we'll have to wait and see ;)_

 _Thank you once again to everyone who followed, faved, or simply read this story! Never forget how amazing you are ;D Oh! And if this story's title sounded familiar to anyone, that's because it's named after one of my favorite songs by Audio Machine titled "Eternal Flame"_ — _but it also fit this story in more than one way which is why I picked it, hah xD_

* * *

"You're alive!" Tigress nearly screamed, throwing herself over Po and wrapping him in the tightest hug that she could muster, almost knocking Bao off of his belly in the process. But it didn't last long.

"Ow, ow, ow!" Po cried, hugging his knees to his chest. Bao slid to the ground, not wanting to hurt his friend any further.

Tigress immediately backed away, mentally slapping herself for hurting Po; it was obvious that he was still recovering from his injuries that he had sustained as a dragon. There was no physical evidence to suggest that he had ever been shot by an arrow, but judging from his reaction to being hugged so tightly, he was still sore. He also seemed to be favoring his left side quite a bit; Tigress didn't know what had happened between him and Kai in the Spirit Realm, but it was obvious that the evil warrior had gotten the upper hand at some point.

"Sorry!" she apologized quickly. "I mean...it's good to see... _you_ again." The tiger coughed awkwardly, hugging Lei Lei closer so as not to drop her and trying to suppress her enthusiasm that Po was back. The little panda babbled in excitement that Po had finally woken, trying to escape from Tigress's hold but with no success.

Po glanced down at his original body, letting out a sigh of relief when he found that yes, he was back to normal. He was afraid for a second that Master Oogway was going to make him stay as a dragon.

"Yeah...it's great to be back." He glanced at his fathers and they stared back with unbelieving gazes as if they were looking at a ghost. "Dad! Dad...I'm okay, really," Po said reassuringly. "I got my Chi back."

They didn't react at first, merely blinking and trying to process the fact that their son had survived. He was okay, alive and well. He was sitting up in bed on his own without any support from Tigress, trying to tell them that yes, he was indeed alright. But it was hard to believe that after so much _worrying_ and _fretting,_ it was all over at last. They could finally breathe with ease knowing that their son was going to be okay after far too many close calls.

At the same time, they both threw themselves over the panda, nearly causing Po to fall back over onto his bed. Their hug was absolutely suffocating and his injuries—though they were not that noticeable—flared at the sudden contact, but Po didn't mind. Not one bit as he hugged them tightly in return.

Still...

 _Ow._

Even so, he invited a certain little panda cub to join in on the group hug, waving him over with a small nod of his head. Bao inched towards the three, leaping towards Po and enveloping his friend, trying to be as gentle as he could.

"Kai's gone for good, right? He didn't get your Chi again?" Mr. Ping asked cautiously a second time just to make sure, never wanting the moment to end.

"Nope," Po said brightly in response. "He's gone for good, dad. It was hard, but...I made sure that he can't come back. Shifu actually gave me the idea," he said as he remembered his master throwing Kai backwards after getting hit with the arrow, creating a shield around the Master of Pain so that he wouldn't be able to get out.

"I knew you could do it," Li said proudly, giving Po one final squeeze before letting go at last so his son could breathe. He held out the staff for him to take. "I think this belongs to you."

Po took the staff gently in his hands, hugging it close. He wondered if it would always have the power to take him to the Spirit Realm; he hoped that he would never have to find out again anytime soon. He would also make sure to take extra care not to snap it in half like he had the first time.

Master Shifu himself stood by, observing with a small smile. "It's good to see that you are finally awake, Dragon Warrior."

Po chuckled. "I'm happy I'm awake...hey, where's everyone else?" he asked, searching his room for the rest of the Five and pandas.

"All outside the shop!" Mr. Ping answered, releasing Po from his grip at last and heading to the stairs. "They were waiting for you to wake up."

"Let's go and say hi," Bao said excitedly, grabbing Shifu by a paw and nearly dragging the red panda towards the stairs. The older master stiffened slightly, but allowed himself to be pulled away by the small cub. Lei Lei had finally managed to escape Tigress's hold and began to run after the two, the 'stripey baby' following close behind so as not to lose sight of her.

Po laughed under his breath, smiling warmly at the thought that he had friends waiting for him outside. But then a thought resurfaced at the mention of the word 'hi.' A memory of the Spirit Realm just before Master Oogway had taken out his staff, and before everything went black and he had returned to the Mortal Realm as a dragon.

"Oh, right! Mom says hi," Po said softly once he and Li were alone in the room and everyone had gone. He was glad that he had remembered now and not as a dragon when he wouldn't have been able to speak.

"...What?" Li asked slowly, his voice a quiet whisper as he turned to face his son before following the group outside to the tables.

"I saw her, dad. She was there when...when I...you know. She was everything you said and more..."

Li's eyes were brimming with tears by the second word Po had said.

"She's okay, dad," Po reassured softly as his own eyes glistened. "She's with Master Oogway. He's taking good care of her."

Li attempted to choke back the tears that were beginning to roll down his cheeks, but he couldn't help it. Po wrapped his arms around his father in yet another tight embrace.

* * *

"Master Shifu needs to speak with you," Tigress said as she approached the Dragon Warrior with little Lei Lei once again clinging to her back.

"Am I in trouble?" Po asked, smiling as he noticed that she was not being as resistant to the cub as she was back in the Panda Village before everything had happened.

"Perhaps," she answered with a little smirk. Po made his way towards a table where Shifu was sitting with Li and Mr. Ping. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Crane and Mantis sitting with Viper and Monkey. He had heard what happened to the two of them and what Kai had done...it left him feeling very unsettled to know that it had been because of _his_ powers. But he was glad that they were okay.

Shifu nodded at the Dragon Warrior as he chose his next words; he knew that he would have to tell Po now before he changed his mind. "Yes."

"What?" Po asked, confused at what Shifu meant by 'yes.'

"Yes. They may stay if they choose." Shifu turned his gaze towards the pandas enjoying their soup that Mr. Ping had brought out. Li still couldn't believe that the secret ingredient was actually nothing. But he had finally gotten the hang of creating his own that Po would have to try later.

"You mean like... _officially_ stay?" Po asked, eyes wide with excitement as he finally realized what the red panda meant. "They don't have to go back to the village?"

"Even now, I believe it would be cruel to make them go all the way back, especially after staying here for so long," Shifu explained with a small grin.

Po looked from Shifu to Li, and his dad nodded his approval. "The Valley of Peace might be dangerous...but I think we can handle it, don't you?" he asked with a wink.

Po soon found himself grinning from ear to ear. Bao was going to be so happy when he heard the news!

* * *

"Hey...how'd you know it was me when you got to the palace?" Po couldn't help but ask Tigress once the noodle shop had been cleared.

"There was a dragon, and you _are_ the Dragon Warrior. It wasn't that hard to figure out, Po," she replied as she helped clear tables, wiping them down with a cloth.

"...Right," Po laughed sheepishly. "I _told_ you I shot a super awesome dragon at him." He turned his gaze towards the brightening sky. He would never forget that moment when he'd tossed himself off of the Jade Palace steps and flew. Really _flew_ with no assistance whatsoever. It was a sensation that he would remember for as long as he lived. He'd never look at the sky the same way again. But it also reminded him that he was capable of more than just soaring through the air.

"What is it?" Tigress asked gently as she watched him staring upwards. Something was bothering him and she knew it.

"It's just...after...seeing what Kai could do with my Chi...what I could and... _can_ do..." The full realization that he could manipulate people into doing things against their will by just a simple thought finally hit him full-force; he never even knew that he'd _had_ such a power before Kai had gained his Chi.

"When I went to the Spirit Realm and saw Master Oogway again," Po continued, shuffling a bit as he stood in place. "He told me that one of life's greatest challenges is to face one's self. I think I finally know what he meant by that..."

He felt a paw rest on his shoulder.

"You're not Kai."

She said it with such certainty, it almost made him want to believe it himself. Kai had done things that Po would never even think of doing in his lifetime. He hadn't even realized that his powers could go that far, that they could hurt innocent people the way they had. Crane and Mantis were nearly _killed_ because of his powers. He was almost afraid to just be standing next to Tigress.

"Po...you would never hurt me. You would never hurt anyone," she said firmly, her grip on his shoulder tightening. "I trust you. We all trust you."

Her statement brought him comfort, his doubt slowly but surely fading away. He finally smiled.

"Thanks, Tigress."

* * *

Po couldn't believe it. After all these years of simply dreaming about becoming a Kung Fu master, that dream was finally a reality.

Weird; it felt like only yesterday when he'd first climbed up the dreaded stairs of the Jade Palace and lit up the fireworks that sent him over the stone walls, and then named the legendary Dragon Warrior.

Now he was a teacher, teaching anyone who wanted to know the art of Kung Fu and now Chi as well, knowing how to use it and when, and the dangers of using too much. He couldn't believe _that_ either, remembering how freaked out he'd been when Shifu first wanted him to start teaching.

But life was good. He had his friends and family who were always there for him no matter what, who had saved him from his ultimate demise in the Spirit Realm. It was then he realized that, in a way, they had taught _themselves_ how to use the power of their Chi; he had simply taught them to always be yourself, no matter how great of a challenge it was.

Kai was defeated once _again_ and everything was back to normal. But if any more supernatural villains or regular bandits came along that Po was already used to fighting in the Valley of Peace, he and the Furious Five—along with new Panda Warriors—would be ready.

Now he was also the Dragon Warrior both metaphorically _and_ literally.

The Dragon would always be there watching over the Valley of Peace and the ones he loved, the ones who loved him in return.

He wasn't going anywhere.

Yeah, life was good.

Back in the empty Panda Village, the shriveled flower that Po had brought back to life bloomed once more and shimmered gold in the brilliant light.


	21. Sequel!

Just thought I'd let you all know that the sequel is up now! It's called "The Fire Within"—you can find it on my profile ;D


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